Roots
by JPandS
Summary: Disbanded, the scouts resume normal lives by the promptings of Usagi. Of course, 8 years later, the kidnapping of a certain blue-eyed blonde uproots them from their newly acquired lives. Thus the search and rescue mission begins...
1. Prologue

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

The topic of discussion had been long deliberated as each girl sat patiently around the rectangular table of the Hikawa shrine. So many meetings had taken place here and so many fights had bonded each person together in a way that they had never expected. Their attentive eyes rested on the golden pig-tailed youth who they fondly knew as Usagi.

"Yes," she said decisively. "This is what I want."

Her cerulean blue hues sparkled like gems as she looked over each one of her dear friends. They had dedicated their lives to her and although a majority of them just barely graduated high school, each of them had made sacrifices already that could have bettered their opportunities if they weren't engaged in the calling of their past life. A comforting arm circled around her shoulders with reassurance and softly squeezed.

She had relayed this idea with him many times before and he had told her each time that whatever path she chose, he would support. Her heart felt lifted as she again recognized how lucky she was to have someone to truly care for and someone she could trust. After all, that's why she had decided this, so that her friends could find a facet of life for themselves and not have to be conflicted with the strain of their duties.

Uncertainty marring each one's features, the room brimmed with silent contemplation. Chaos was defeated and no other threat had presented itself for almost a year now. No spike in negative energy, no inexplicable attack on the public, nothing everything was at ease. However, each female had tucked away the thought that if they were to take it easy during the period of no fights an enemy would spring itself upon them when they least expected it. So it was hard. No, it was nearly impossible for them to imagine that their services were no longer needed. Countless times before when they believed they had faced their last enemy, another one would always come…always.

"It's hard for me to believe this."

All eyes turned to the product of those words. The bright red bow tying strands of shimmering blonde strands achieved a sense of lurid attraction before their gazes simmered down to meet her sapphire orbs. She looked timid; scared even of the message expulsed from their princess since before they were reborn on Earth. The reasons behind her flurry of mixed emotions raised her to heightened inquisition but her jumbled thoughts were racing so quickly that she found it difficult to sort them all at once.

"Minako-chan," Usagi spoke softly. "I want you guys to be able to live the lives you've always dreamt. I don't want to hold you back from your future."

"But Crystal Tokyo hasn't happened," a blue-haired girl chimed in. "I think if we were to continue our lives in our own desired direction, it would be a great disruption to have to deal with the rise of Crystal Tokyo in the future. I almost think it would be easier for us to wait until Crystal Tokyo comes and then venture off in the road of our dreams."

A few heads bobbed in agreement at her statement and Usagi frowned. Crystal Tokyo was another topic that she had yet to address. Luna and Artemis shifted uncomfortably as they realized the light that they would have to shed on the senshi concerning their inquiries.

"Crystal Tokyo is an option." At the words of the black cat, the room grew stale. A lingering disquiet permeated the small quarters as they anticipated Luna's in depth explanation. The feline sighed. "It doesn't have to happen if Usagi does not think it is necessary."

The judgment of the pigtailed princess was now the subject of deep consideration. Although she still fell victim to many klutz attacks and couldn't multitask for the life of her, she had grown immensely in demeanor. Her aura already suggesting that of which could only belong to royalty.

"How could you know already that it is no longer necessary?"

The senshi's own miko asked expectantly, her amethyst eyes boring into Usagi's soft blue ones. Somehow, Usagi had anticipated she would be the one to ask this.

"I don't," she admitted.

The tension increased amongst them, their minds delving deeper in scrutiny. This was a long debate. Supposedly it was due to the fact that the senshi had each secretly longed for the chance to be released from duty so they would not easily give up on its premise. However, disbanding without proper regard to probable possibilities would only lead them to danger. They had gotten stronger since they first started this path and to disperse now meant weakening their power and leaving a huge opportunity for evil to devour…that is if there still was evil for them to face.

"Okay."

Arched eyebrows etched their way across the girls at the voice of the green-eyed senshi of Jupiter. Her wavy auburn tresses pulled back into a ponytail swayed as she turned to face their princess.

"I'll do it."

"You'll do what?"

The sandy blonde female sitting across from the brunette was quick to respond as her agitated character swelled with scorn. Disappointment coursed through her as she pondered how Makoto could so easily agree with Usagi's suggestion. She knew the brunette was a loyal friend to their princess but she had never expected that she would be so quick to jump at the opportunity to abandon her. So what it was Usagi telling them to go off on their own, Makoto should have known better.

"If Usagi-chan wants us to follow our dreams then I will."

"Makoto," Rei interjected. "How could you?"

Makoto's emeralds remained steadfast with reason. "Usagi-chan has never led us astray, so why would she start now? I trust her and if this is what she believes to be best, then I will do it without question."

Slowly, the bold statement resonated in the ears of the surrounding women. She was right, they supposed. Usagi had never before led them astray but she was human and humans were bound to make mistakes sometimes.

"It wouldn't be so bad…" the red-bowed female chirped. "To put down the senshi calling for a while and pursue our life dreams…"

The delayed relay of her thoughts seemed to sink a new revival of optimism. Of course each girl present had dreams of their own but an unmentioned fear resided in each of them that if they did embark on their own, the duty of the senshi would be revitalized in the mist of their journey and ultimately terminate the potential lives they had worked to gain.

"I suppose it wouldn't."

The contagious attitude shift snuck its way casually into the mindsets of each member in attendance. The fact of the matter was that they were still young and the opportunities ahead were abundant. However, if they chose to postpone their lives in order to accommodate the _possibility_ that a threat still existed in their futures then they might lose their chance at fulfilling their aspirations. In the event that an enemy did arise when they had decided to disband, would it really be that bad to have to return? After all, at least when all was said and done concerning the senshi business they would have a life to return to. With their constant searches for supernatural threats, their social lives had dwindled and contacts disintegrated giving them the feeling that they only existed to fight youkai. That wasn't all that was fated for them, was it? No, couldn't be.

A careful compromise was reached as all girls decided together that they would follow the suggestion presented by Usagi and move on with their lives. Nevertheless, they would each have to keep in mind that if there was an enemy rising they would have to be quick to show for the fight.

An array of emotions splayed across each soldiers features as the inevitable departure neared with every moment.

"So," Minako started. "Do we forfeit our powers until a threat arises?"

Luna's small cat head shook nay. "You're powers are a part of you. They're not something we can just take away."

A scoff was earned at the revelation, neither girl completely aware of the thought.

"I guess this is goodbye then."

The women in the room stood from their seated position and took a moment to look each other over. They had been through so much together, seen so much terror and witnessed so much joy. It was daunting, to say the least, to consider that from this day on the duty they had shared throughout their youth was now being put to rest.

"Not goodbye," Usagi prodded. "We can all still keep in touch."

Small smiles were earned as they all nodded. Somehow though, they knew that staying in contact wouldn't be as simple as they liked to imagine. Each person standing held such a unique perspective of life that neither of them could honestly say they shared similar desires. A genius desiring to be a medical professional, an ex-volleyball star wanting to return to the court and go to college, a priestess desiring to pursue a chance at stardom, a violinist set on producing paintings for museums and continuing her music career, a racecar driver thriving to outdrive all other competitors, a chef aspiring to have her own restaurant, a young girl still yet to live out the rest of her teenage years, two cats intent on dwelling in a peaceful time, a gatekeeper who secretly sketched designs in her free time with the desire to delve into fashion, a prince securely fastened on the chance to protect and care for his true love and a selfless princess adamant on giving her friends the opportunity to live freely. What a melting pot of aspirations.

The two cats waved their tails gaily as they watched the girls part their separate ways. They would assimilate fine; there was no doubt about it.

**Thanks for reading!**

**Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Let me know what you think!**

**JPandS**


	2. Chapter 1

Wufei Chang padded carefully through, his attention captivated by the unusual bustling of Preventers around him. The ordinary day of a Preventer involved little to no movement since peace was largely accepted around the universe leaving little work to occupy them with, so he assumed something must have happened in order to provoke so much buzz around the place. His brisk walk finally met with the end of the large corridor, security scanners beaming his face before finally opening for him to enter.

"Sally Po," he acknowledged. The emanating protrusion of apprehension marred her features as she appeared to be awaiting his arrival.

"Disturbing news today," she stated as he took a seat.

"Like," he probed, his senses already preparing him for the answer.

"Relena Peacecraft has been kidnapped."

* * *

A young male sat rhythmically drumming his slender fingers on the table beside him. His short cropped sandy blond hair was tousled by the occasional swipe of his left hand, the ticking of the clock hanging in the room echoing in his ears. He resided in his seat wearing a loosely fitted white button up shirt with sleeves that extended to his wrists. The finely pressed dress pants were crimped with small torrents as he sat with legs crossed. Waiting had been his only task thus far and it was proving to be bothersome.

"Tenou, Haruka?"

He stood up with a nod. The woman scanned the man carefully, her eyes not quite trusting him as he stood before her.

"It says you're female."

Haruka smirked, her head bobbing in response. "_It_ speaks the truth then," she saluted. With a frown, the woman shook off her suspicion and continued on.

"Lucrezia Noin," she introduced before promptly motioning for "her" to follow.

"May I ask what this is concerning, Lieutenant Noin?"

"You're being reassigned."

"Reassigned?" She inquired with a perplexed look. "For what reason?"

Ignoring the question, Noin proceeded to inform the sandy blonde of her newest assignment.

"You're moving to the Preventer's corps to join a team in a secret mission."

Haruka frowned, her hands lazily hanging in her pockets as she trailed behind her violet-haired superior. Eight years working as one of the most revered soldiers in the Sanq Kingdom had gained much attention to her humble origins. With the inexplicable skill she had for fighting and tactical maneuvers, it was not difficult for her to stick out amongst the numbers of others that shared her same task. Though Noin gave no indication of why she was being reassigned, she figured something big must have happened and they were pulling in their best to fix the issue. Haruka sighed. _I wonder what happened…_

"It's a search and rescue. Information will be supplied by your new teammates."

"What if I said I don't work well with others?" Haruka grumbled, earning a stern look from Noin.

"Then I'd say you have no choice in the matter." The metal door behind her slid open, her uniformed frame stepping discretely inside along with Haruka. As the small compartment jutted through the narrow shaft, the women inside stood in quiet contemplation.

Noin felt frantic. The news of Relena's kidnapping was devastating, the stained concern of Milliardo's features fixated in the deep pits of her brain. Things had been so calm, so peaceful but it seemed that in a single event, she was quickly reminded of all the cruel things in the world. Relena was a strong ruler. Being crowned the Queen of Earth did nothing to inflate her ego and her ideals remained steady and secure. There was no reason for Relena to be kidnapped and it troubled Noin that there were still people out there that believed this act could be useful in any way. No ransom note was sent, nor were there any known enemies plotting the kidnapping. Everything just seem to appear out of nowhere, no hints, inklings, nothing! Noin sighed. Hopefully, they would be able to resolve this before the public found out and before anything dreadful happens to Relena herself.

* * *

Heero Yuy traveled callously through the littered streets on the roaring engine vibrating heavily beneath him. The one night he decided not to be in close vicinity of Relena only to have her be kidnapped in that same instant. He cursed. He knew he should have never become so lax with his duties of protecting her. Already preparations were being made to find her, teams scouring her bedroom for clues and old comrades being called after years of absence to reunite and track her. With her high position, they took no chances, only wanting the best to be on the case so that casualties were spared. It was exciting, Heero had to admit, that he would be given the opportunity to again use his long subdued skills but at the cost of Relena's wellbeing, it was almost not worth it.

He glided through the parking lot finally stopping in a space near the Preventer's headquarters. Inside, he met with his old Chinese comrade who nodded in acknowledgment.

"Are the others here?" Heero asked, his stoic Prussian blue eyes scanning the halls as they walked.

Wufei nodded in confirmation. "And a few more recruits," he muttered half-heartedly. He had been opposed to adding more people than was necessary but Milliardo and Noin were vehement in getting as many on the case possible as if it would further aid them in their mission. Their emotions were interfering too much and he could see it even before they had their first briefing with the single clue that was found in Relena's bedroom.

A small breeze swept by them as the double doors slid open, a round table filled with occupants, some familiar and some foreign, centered in the room. Heero and Wufei took quickly to their seats, quick head bobs given in the direction of three particular men, Milliardo standing at the head ready to speak.

"As you all know," he started. "Relena Peacecraft was kidnapped somewhere between 23:00 hours last night and 08:00 hours this morning. Security cameras around her room show no activity and our investigation team concluded that the security tapes were not at all tampered with. The only clue we have is this."

Milliardo lifted a strange totem pole-like stick engraved with elaborate etchings and symbols, none of which were recognizable. The inhabitants in the room leant closer in their seats to get a better look at the object, each trying to decipher what it could mean.

"So far, no progress has been made. I've called each of you here for separate reasons. Some of you have worked with me before and some of you have not. The purpose of this meeting is to establish an order to find and retrieve Relena as quickly and as safely as possible. Word of her kidnapping is not to be spread." Milliardo's clear water-blue orbs rested uneasily on a red light that had silently started oscillating.

With trained reactions, the people in the room immediately sprang to their feet, weapons and radios pulled from their pockets.

"There's been a breach in security," a voice resonated from a small black box.

"Who is it?" Lucrezia Noin demanded, authoritatively grabbing the communication tool and hastily simulating a tactical rebuttal against whatever was coming.

"I don't know," the man said. "We can't see anything yet. They've come in through the West wing."

Noin cursed. The security put in place was starting to frustrate her as the unknown threat appeared to so easily penetrate their defenses. It was no wonder Relena was kidnapped without trouble!

"You five!" She yelled. The men had already known who she was addressing and turned to her in response. "Head over to the West Wing. Tenou, go with them!"

The five men trailed out obediently, a sandy blonde character not far behind. With their guns drawn they raced to all the commotion. Explosions grew louder as they neared, the heat from the growing fire spawning beads of sweat on each of them.

"What a welcome party," grinned an indigo-eyed boy with plaited chestnut hair. "I would expect nothing less when it involves you guys."

The four men around him scoffed, Haruka assuming they probably knew each other before this. Moving carefully, they all molded into a cautious team peeking behind corners to ensure they didn't walk into any traps.

Smoke and debris flew across, the haze making it difficult for any of them to see or breath but something was in there, they could sense it. Small twitches in their peripheries caused them to jerk around in attempts to spot them, but it seemed useless.

"What the hell?" Someone had muttered as they tried to determine what it is that was in the room with them.

"SH*T!" It was the voice of the braided haired man, his hands retracting hastily. His hand shook, deep gashes burning with bright crimson dripping to the ground. He hadn't even seen how it happened but now it appeared he had dropped his gun and the smoke was growing thicker.

"You okay, Duo?" The brunette bobbed his head and yelled a yes in response as he searched around for the "thing" responsible for his new gashes. Dainty padding could be heard, the sound nearly depleted by the constant rumblings of explosions nearby.

"Where are you?" Duo whispered as he slinked around the area. Was that hissing? Duo yelped again at the feeling of sharp claws slashing across his face. His hands tried to grip the attacker but by some odd mishap he missed. He groaned, gingerly touching his skin to try and feel the damage but to no avail.

"There's something in here!" He cried.

Wufei's ears perked when he heard Duo. A distinctive screech sounded in the mist of Maxwell's noise but he wasn't sure he could depend on his ears especially since his mind had trouble believing that sound could be coming in a situation such as this. He shook his head. It was the sound of a hissing cat but what would a cat be doing in a place like this? He held tightly to his gun, the sandy blond of whom he had yet to meet formally, clear in his view. They both unconsciously turned their backs on each an assumed sense of "you watch my back and I'll watch yours" taking place.

Wufei shot. The scurrying thing bounded uninhibited and it was apparent Wufei had missed his target. The blond behind him shifted in quick movements to try and catch a glimpse of what was coming and cocked his gun.

"Luna?" Haruka scoffed incredulously.

The black cat's ears perked at the sound of her name as she pivoted on her paws to get a clear view of who had addressed her. Wufei nearly fell in his stance at what was to follow but clung desperately at the thinning string of composure still left inside of him.

"Haruka?" The cat spoke.

**R&R? Thanks for reading!**

**JPandS**


	3. Chapter 2

Wufei stood frozen in his place, his eyes shifting between the blond and the black feline. Was he dreaming? The smoke was starting to clear, yells and groans no longer audible as Wufei assumed was due to the fact that the cat was no longer attacking. The black little creature gave a look of relief, her large cat eyes as excited as the wagging tail behind her.

Instinctively, he took aim at the unknown blond still not quite sure what to make of this whole situation. This had to be a dream! There was no other explanation! A talking cat? He would be sure to stop watching all those children shows before going to sleep.

Haruka raised her hands in the air, watching as the Chinese man tried to make sense of the scene. She herself was scouring for some way to explain this without spilling the actual truth behind this feline. If she were to do that, then questions about her own past would arise and she couldn't have that.

Four outlines of the Chinese man's comrades started to near through the haze, their attentive gazes still marred with tight-ended investigation. They could hear voices all of which were unfamiliar to them and when they came to see a little black cat adoringly gazing upon the blond character who was being gunned down by Wufei, they were confused.

"What's going on?" Quatre asked; gun still trained on the cat. Despite his ridiculous feeling for targeting this harmless house pet, he couldn't seem to withdraw his arms.

Wufei was speechless, his mind still unwilling to accept what had just happened. Just thinking about the response to Quatre's question seemed ludicrous. _The cat spoke!_ The words grew larger within his head; his mouth however still clamped shut. _THE CAT SPOKE! _He shook his head.

"Tell them," he uttered simply towards the blond. "Tell them now!"

Haruka gulped. She had yet to figure out what to say, her mind jumbled in haywire at the topic. A welling sense of anger started throbbing in her chest, the black cat's foolish actions being the epicenter of her rage. Why the hell was she even breaking into this place? There didn't seem to be an obvious answer. Now Haruka only wished she hadn't addressed the cat by name.

"She's a genetically engineered cat," Haruka blurted praying silently that the lame answer would be sufficient. "I nabbed her from some mad scientist years ago."

"I don't understand," Quatre admitted, his brow scrunched in frustration that he still felt lost about the whole situation. What harm was there in the cat?

Wufei growled, shifting on his feet as he did so. "The cat was talking," he finally let out. The indigo-eyed American burst into a leaf of laughter.

"You've gotta be kidding me," he said looking at the face of the Chinese man. By the distressed brows and creased frown, Duo could see that he wasn't joking. "Really?"

"Yes," Haruka answered, hands still up. "But she's harmless, I swear!"

As if on cue, a blur of streaking white fur zoomed across the room towards Quatre. Shocked, he hastily stepped backwards, the billowing feline hissing by to hit the unsuspecting American.

"AH!" Duo yelled as he tried to pry the spastic thing from his already injured face. A tall male grabbed quickly at the back of the cat, his stark white body going limp in his hand.

"Artemis!" The black cat bellowed, the verdant eyes of the white cat's captor stoically gazing over them.

"So it does talk." He put the temporarily paralyzed male now known as Artemis next to the other feline, her small head nudging lovingly at the white one's head.

All eyes returned to the blond, her hands growing sweaty with anxiety. She had faced much more dangerous situations but it seemed that this one was the hardest by far.

"Care to explain how they could have gotten here?"

Haruka glanced in the direction of the Prussian eyed soldier who awaited her response and now too held a gun at her.

"I trained them," she lied. "I'm real paranoid about my safety so I trained them to find me if I don't check in with them every so often."

"Pfft, bullsh*t!" The American exclaimed, his face severely bloody from his encounter with the cats. Haruka almost felt sorry for him but shook away the notion.

"It's true," she tried. "I have a communicator in my watch, one that I use to contact them. Their communicators are in their collars. Seems I got too overwhelmed with all the recent news of the mission that I forgot to call them."

"So they come find you using explosives?" The unruly haired brunette spoke as monotonous as ever.

For the first time, Quatre assimilated that these cats were indeed the security breach they were sent after. A stern glance in their direction and he felt sick. How could such small animals bring so much destruction?

"Like I said before," Haruka insisted. "I'm paranoid. I gave them whatever I thought was necessary."

There was no sense of mockery in her voice nor was there any doubt cast deep in her hardened blue eyes. To be so adamant on a subject such as this, certainly she was telling the truth.

"Then why haven't we heard of them before?"

Haruka scoffed at the question. "You really think I would want others to know I had a pair of talking cats that I trained to find me in cases of emergency?"

Seemed reasonable enough, but the pilots couldn't bring themselves to accept the story. Conflicted, they stood there, weapons still drawn against Haruka who remained with her hands in the air. Luna had stayed quiet, anxiously sitting beside Artemis who still lay motionless. Perhaps breaking into this place wasn't such a great idea after all…

A long groan was heard, the Chinese man reluctantly lowering his arms. It was absurd, to say the least, that two talking cats were responsible for all this trouble, but being as he could sense no type of real danger present, he decided to put away his gun.

"Does Noin trust you?" He asked.

"Noin doesn't even know me. We barely met this morning. Before then, I was just a soldier under Prince Milliardo's unit."

Wufei groaned. "Then Milliardo can decide what he wants to do with you."

The other pilots nodded, uniformly escorting the blond and the two cats back to the meeting room. With a perturbed shake of her head, Haruka went without hesitation. Luna and Artemis had a lot of explaining to do when they were finished with this.

* * *

Haruka sat annoyed on the metal bed, her head buried deep in the palms of her hands. Milliardo had ordered that she be detained until further notice, not quite sure himself what to make of the whole issue. Aside from that, he was still frantic to find his missing sister and did not want to waste time with useless investigations that would not lead to Relena's whereabouts.

"Well, at least they put us together," Artemis voiced, his muscles now recuperating from the little jab he received from the green-eyed brunette who still remained unnamed. Haruka would be sure to ask him exactly which spot he hit for future reference…

Still unwilling to acknowledge the cats, Haruka laid down with her back turned to them. Certainly she wanted an explanation for their actions but at the moment, she didn't feel like hearing it.

"Haruka," Luna said, her paws lightly prancing closer to the blond. "If we think hard enough I'm sure we can come up with a way to escape!"

Haruka groaned, shaking her head. "I'm not escaping," she replied.

Flabbergasted, Luna sputtered for words, her little cat eyes blinking with uncertainty.

"B-but why not?"

"If you haven't noticed, Luna, this happens to be my _life_." She sat up, her glowering eyes piercing into Luna's. "I work for these people, they are the source of my livelihood. Not only that, but if I run, It'll make it seem as though I'm guilty of something. I'm confident that they won't find anything on me, I'll be let out eventually."

Luna frowned slightly ashamed that she had not considered that fact. She was just so accustomed to the girls being in grade school and not having to worry about frivolous things like work and what not.

"I'm sorry, Haruka, I wasn't thinking."

"Neither of us were," Artemis chimed in.

"I'll say," Haruka huffed, leaning back with her hands behind her head.

She took a deep inhale of breath and sighed. It was quite funny to spot Luna in the mist of a high anxiety security breach. Haruka smirked. The little black feline was dangerous, her deadly explosives, extensive computer knowledge and pointy claws…it was a wonder Haruka never realized just how powerful she was before…

"So," Haruka said clearing her thoughts as she again remembered what she had wanted to ask ever since she first spotted Luna. "You mind telling me what the hell you were doing when you broke into the Preventer's headquarters?"

Luna's eyes grew dim, Artemis too appearing with a tight frown. Immediately Haruka was concerned, her heart racing as she anticipated the answer.

"I had an _urging_, if you will, that I would find answers here."

"Yeah," Artemis spoke. "And usually Luna's urgings are right on."

The black feline nodded, Haruka leaning forward to listen.

"What kind of answers were you expecting to find?" she questioned.

Luna gulped hesitantly, her eyes shifting uncomfortably. Finally with a labored sigh, she responded with a statement that she assumed would tell all.

"Usagi-chan and Mamoru-kun have been kidnapped."

* * *

Night had come quickly, the five pilots finding themselves again in their own little pack apart from the rest of the team formed to locate Relena. After the incident with the blond who they learned was named Haruka and her two talking cats, very little progress was made. Scientists, historians and all types of intellectual minds labored over trying to decipher the symbols on the totem left in Relena's bedroom but were horribly unable, each lead eventually resulting in a dead end. With such luck, finding the princess was looking to be a tiring venture.

With a look at his watch, the Chinese man sighed knowing that soon he would have to leave. A lot of things had changed since he had last seen the other Gundam pilots, things that he wasn't even sure they were aware of. What, he wondered, would they think when they found out?

"Wufei," the voice of Sally Po was easy for him to recognize, his angular charcoal eyes moving to look at her. "You're free to leave as you usually do. If any leads come in I can always call you."

Sally Po was one of the few women in existence that he could stand, her knowledge of his current circumstances subjecting her to a sense of blind friendliness. He appreciated it, to say the least that she would consider his new lifestyle and with a silent nod he made his way to the door.

"Wo-ho!" Duo jumped, his now treated wounds already looking slightly better than before. "Where you headed?"

The question itself seemed to spark the interest of each pilot, their eyes peering curiously at Wufei's fleeting figure.

"Home," Wufei simply stated without slowing his pace.

"Can I come?" Duo asked innocently. Wufei scowled at him, the evident childishness the American always had still in tact despite the years that had passed.

"No," Wufei replied but to no avail. The faces of Trowa, Heero and Quatre were in close vicinity, Wufei sighing as he realized they would all be tagging along no matter what he said. It was a strange fact between them. Though they each started alone, once they all met each other, there was some unseen force that would always bring them together even if they were in the farthest outreaches of the universe.

With his keys, he unlocked the doors to his car, Yuy opting to leave his bike in the garage and hopping in the backseat. Duo jumped in front, his lopsided grin just the same as when Wufei had last seen it. Running his hands over his head, Wufei exhaled and got in to drive. What awaited them would surely bring shock to all his passengers. A smug grin on his face, he turned the key in his ignition and pulled out of the lot.

* * *

_"Who are you?"_

_ The approaching figures said nothing, their cloaked bodies hovering closer as she lay frozen in her bed. Hurling her covers at them, she made a mad dash for the door, an arm grabbing her in her plight. She opened her mouth to scream but was hindered by a rushed hand clamping itself over her lips. Her body flailed in attempts to get loose but her captor would not budge. In a last jerk from her hips she kicked up her legs aiming for the head of one figure only to kick off the top end of their staff. With muffled cries for help, she was dragged, a camouflaged vortex absorbing all that were present. _

_ The small totem rolled beneath her bed, a small glow emanating from the engraved symbols until it again dimmed._

The dark lavender eyes peered in a trance, her raven-black hair pulled back in a neat ponytail. The fire had been showing her this event countless times, her research skills finally leading her to a name that matched the woman in the vision. A picture of the blonde woman lay on the cover of a political magazine, one that the young miko had stumbled upon by accident. She was far from civilization, her current stay being in the burning heat of Egypt. A member of her excavation team was strongly enthralled by the politics of the world and lugged with him his ever-growing collection of magazines that only spoke of politics. With a sigh, she called the fire to a low cinder, her heat-accustomed body lifting from its position on the ground.

She was in the middle of a dig, her instincts telling her that a new discovery was sure to follow but the promptings of the fire were something she learnt to never ignore. Walking out from her small solitude, her oldest archaeologist friend intercepted her.

"Dr. Hino," the man called out, hastily shuffling his feet to catch up to her. "You wanted to see me?"

She nodded in affirmation, picking up her bag along the way and throwing it over her shoulder. "I'm going away for a bit, I want you to overlook everything while I'm gone."

The man's eyes widened in worry, his mouth agape as he temporarily stalled in following her.

"B-but Dr. Hino, we're so close!"

She sighed, stopping to turn to him and placing a firm hand on his shoulder.

"I know," she said. "But I've got business that can't wait, I hope you can understand."

Before he could argue further, she proceeded on her path, a helicopter now flying into sight. It killed her to have to leave, but she knew it needed to be done.

"Sanq kingdom," she muttered. "Here I come."

**Thank you everyone that reviewed! I truly appreciate it!**

_The Night Air: I'm glad I could catch your interest! Hopefully this chapter has managed to retain it...XD_

_angel313: Thank you for your review, hope you liked this chapter._

_Lita of Jupiter: Heh yeah, I thought it would be interesting to throw Luna into the mix especially since I often leave the little feline advisors out a lot ^^ And hehe I forgot that Relena and Usagi had such similar features, didn't realize it til I read my summary complete accident ^^;_

_wolfspeaker01: Yeah, I agree. Wufei does seem the least likely to accept it. I hope that the reactions in this chapter were true to character. If not please feel free to tell me! And I hope you still find the story interesting._

_IkariPanda: lol I must admit that the reason I put this story in this section is partially due to the fact that I didn't want to get reprimanded for starting another fic haha but the rest of the reason is because I wanted to see for myself if there was a difference putting it here instead of the usual place I like to use. So far, it seems the same! Hopefully, some of your ideas will come up soon in a new story from you *wink wink nod nod :P I do love to read!_

**Again, thank you guys for your reviews!**

**I was…really excited to write this chapter haha even though much didn't happen, I still liked it =] Anyways,**

**Thanks for reading!**

**And I hope you review!**

**JPandS**


	4. Chapter 3

"Daddy!"

Heero stepped back in surprise, as did the other pilots, as he watched a young ebony haired girl rush into Wufei's arms. In all the years he had known the Chinese man, he had never expected that he would be the first to be a father. The protective hold Nataku's pilot held on his daughter impressed Heero, a new side he had never expected to witness now reforming his view of the man. Wufei loved her, it could be clearly seen in the way he embraced her.

"Xiang," he smiled. "What have you been up to today?"

At the question, the young child brimmed with excitement, her mouth moving rapidly to relay the events of her day. Wufei engaged adoringly in listening.

"I helped mom cook dinner today!"

A pang shot through Heero as he heard the girl mention her mom. So Wufei had managed to find a wife as well. Sure he knew the child had to come from somewhere but the idea that her mother was still closely involved somehow eluded him. The natural homelike environment set him adrift as he now realized the once deadly Gundam pilot had truly abandoned his bloodlust persona for more humble suitings.

"Did you?"

"Mmhmm," she chimed. Wufei mindlessly made his way to the kitchen, beckoning Heero and the others to follow suit.

"I'm sure it turned out great then."

"Wufei, you're home."

The pilots were shocked, Duo's jaw slack, Quatre's eyes wide with surprise, Heero with a raised eyebrow and Trowa quiet but musing. This woman was far from what they expected Wufei's mate to look like. She stood soft and inviting in the center of the kitchen wearing a spaghetti strap golden-brown sundress that reached just below her knees, her hands covered with oven mitts.

"And we have company," she commented. "Will you all be staying for dinner?"

The blond haired pilot felt as though he had been sucked into some kind of vortex to another dimension, the prospect that this was the kind of life Wufei now led still not fully setting in as fact.

"We wouldn't want to—"

"It's no intrusion at all," she interrupted. "Good thing I went grocery shopping today!"

She pulled off the thick oven mitts and proceeded to the fridge to grab her ingredients. This was astonishing to find Wufei so comfortable in civilian life. Though he was actively involved in the Preventer's Corps, the others knew that they really hadn't been bothered with too many straining missions. Supposedly that left the Chinese man with ample time to finally regain a family.

They exited the kitchen, Quatre getting forced out by Wufei's wife after his polite attempts to help her. She insisted he relax and not bother himself with easy kitchen duty and with much hesitation he agreed. A young boy, resembling his father in every sense, walked in leisurely bowing politely as he looked for his father who had, surprisingly enough, pulled him in for a hug. Multiple discussions with his wife had changed the way he interacted with his son, her parenting style always enforcing a compassionate standpoint. It had taken a while for Wufei to accept this but after much persuasion, he found it not to be nearly as bad as he had imagined it being. He scoffed. Only she could tolerate him and his fortified inhibitions for as long as she did. He imagined that was probably why he ended up marrying her in the first place.

He turned the others, both children close by him, and introduced them.

"This is Tenzin," he said with a hand on the boy. "And this is Xiang, as you probably figured out."

Duo appeared to be the most ecstatic and ready to jump in as Uncle Duo, his hand already outstretched to both kids. They were twins, their hair from their father and their eyes as bright as their mother's. Quatre, Trowa and Heero watched quietly, their introductions not nearly as entertaining as Duo's, which they had expected. With a desire to discuss their current mission, Wufei interrupted the twins' and Duo's playtime, telling his children to go practice their techniques.

Catching onto Wufei's coined term "techniques", Duo smirked.

"How old are they?" the American asked.

Wufei glance wryly in his direction, expecting that he had something to say about what he had told his children.

"Six," he answered. "You're never too young to learn how to defend yourself."

A sheepish grin spread across the indigo-eyed pilot as he leant lazily back into the couch.

"Of course."

Chopping could be heard, the vigorous collision of the steel blade with the wooden board falling deafly on Wufei's practiced ears. His guests turned their heads in curiosity, watching with amazement as Wufei's wife sliced the vegetables at expert speed. Duo's eyes couldn't move from her hands, the movement she used to cut surprisingly fluid and easy.

"Say Wu-man," Duo mumbled. "Is your wife a fighter too?"

Wufei's sharp charcoal eyes glanced towards his wife in the kitchen and back to Duo.

"No," he replied simply. It was shocking that the Chinese man had no scathing remark to make about Duo's favorite nickname for him. Supposedly becoming a father had aided in taming his temper. Duo scoffed.

"Maxwell," the Chinese man spoke again.

"Yeah?"

"Keep your eyes off my wife."

The chestnut haired male grinned sheepishly, turning his gaze obediently away from her. "Hey, no harm in looking, right?"

Wufei's lips were pressed in a tight frown, Duo taking the hint and dimming down his smirk. "Or not…" he trailed. Some people never changed, he supposed, but he was glad that the Chinese man had finally let loose and allowed himself the chance to love a woman.

"So," the blond man seated neatly on the couch started. "What are your thoughts about the cats?"

The men in the room shifted in their seats, the thought of two talking cats again returning to mind. The story they had to tell was quite elaborate and they were uncertain whether they should believe it or not. In addition to that, Haruka had appeared to know them very well but it was apparent that she was keeping something from them.

"Well," Duo said, leaning casually back. "I'm still waiting to wake up. I mean Wufei is the first to get married to a total babe? _And_ he's got kids? There's no way this could be real!"

Quatre shook his head disapprovingly, Wufei glaring daggers at the American who seemed to be trying to get under his skin. Much to the astonishment of the others, Wufei remained calm, with no intention to get even.

"I think they're more than just a scientist's lab experiment," Wufei said, bringing the room back to the topic at hand.

Scoffing, Duo reluctantly abandoned his attempts to get Wufei to break and nodded.

"They're smart and practiced. They managed to hack the Preventer's mainframe security in a matter of seconds and snuck in as if they had been doing this for ages. Given Haruka is a gifted soldier, I don't think she had the patience to train cats _that_ well."

Quatre bobbed his head at Duo's words, his mind piecing together all the possibilities.

"So," he started. "If they didn't break in for the reason Haruka claims, what exactly were they after?"

All eyes seemed to shift uneasily, the silence eerily lurking amidst their contemplations. Haruka had no serious affiliations with any suspicious people and her record came out stark clean so what was the real relationship she had with these two mysterious felines? And why was she so vehement in protecting them?

Their conversation had inevitably come to an end, Wufei's wife appearing in the living room to announce the completion of dinner. Polite as ever, the pilots stood up and headed to the kitchen table. The food was alluring, colors, aroma and multiple appealing dishes pulling them into a state of hunger that they had never experienced before. All troubles seemed to flock away in the simple presentation of food. With a wry smile, Duo looked to Wufei's wife knowingly. There was no doubt about it, Wufei had fallen in love with her for her food, he was convinced and there was no swaying him.

* * *

"Kidnapped?"

Haruka's clear blue eyes panicked, her body shooting up from her seat. Perturbed, she paced in her cell, her hands running through her sandy tresses as she tried to mull over all the past events.

"This can't be a coincidence," she muttered to herself, Luna and Artemis' eyes trained on her.

"What do you mean by that?" Luna asked.

A loud sigh escaped the blonde's lips as she hesitantly stopped pacing.

"Relena Peacecraft was reported missing just this morning. I was reassigned to her case to help find her."

Luna's eyes seemed to be blinking incessantly, the cogs in her head slowly churning. What were the odds that Relena Peacecraft should be kidnapped at the same time as Usagi and Mamoru? A heightened sense of concern engulfed her, the "urging" she had earlier to come to the Preventer's corps now making sense. She wasn't supposed to come here because they had been responsible for her missing prince and princess, she was supposed to help them. Years as companions, Artemis seemed to come to the same conclusion at the same time, his voice carrying across the cell.

"Haruka, we have to help them."

The blonde had expected they would say something like that, a frown pressing regretfully across her smooth skin.

"That's what I'm doing," she refuted in attempts to avoid the actual insinuation they had.

She sat back down in preparation for their sure to come words of disheartenment.

"No," Luna cut in. "The senshi must reunite and help them."

Silently, Haruka's eyes looked between both Luna and Artemis. Reuniting…She had only maintained contact with Michiru throughout the years, their relationship together being the sole reason in that fact. Though they had not actually seen each other for months now, they still remained faithful no matter the distance. Setsuna and Hotaru had settled somewhere in Tokyo and would only send letters periodically and the inners…well she lost contact with all of them even Usagi. However, she didn't feel as estranged by Usagi as she often saw the bubbly young blonde on billboards and in movies, her career as a new actress booming with success. She and Mamoru had become one of Hollywood's most talked about couple, her successful acting career and his prestigious medical practices for some reason sparked large amounts of attention to them. They were both beautiful and their connection to each other was something envied by the world.

Hmm…

"Did the news get word of their disappearance?" Haruka asked.

Luna's small cathead shook in disaffirmation.

"I called Usa's agent and told him they were going on vacation, the public eye has no idea of their kidnapping. Luckily, Mamoru has many friends willing to take over his shifts at the hospital while he's away too."

With a nod, Haruka was relieved that the cats had done at least one thing right. Still feeling disheveled by their words of reuniting she silently contemplated.

"Haruka," Luna said slowly. The small black cat could see that Haruka was withdrawn about the whole situation but the dangers were too great to chance. If they didn't find the senshi and help the Preventer's find Relena who was most likely taken to the same place as Usa and Mamoru, there was no telling what could happen.

"Give me some time," Haruka said, her eyes pleading the cat to listen. "Let me see if I can find them without uprooting the rest of the senshi. This is a part of my life, its inevitable that I would be involved but it doesn't have to be like that for everyone else."

"Haruka," Luna reprimanded. "You all made a pact that if a situation should arise where the senshi were needed, you would all return."

Haruka groaned. "We don't know yet if they're actually _needed._"

Luna frowned. "Your prince and princess have been kidnapped, that's reason enough to believe the senshi are in deed needed."

Unwilling to give up, Haruka continued.

"Luna," she started. "Everyone has finally gotten a chance to live their own lives. If we can keep from dragging them into another fight, then I'm going to try to make it that way. It's not fair for us to pull them in so soon. We haven't even tried looking on our own yet."

With tightly pursed lips, Luna was unmoving. The situation was very alarming and yet Haruka, an outer who once lived by the motto that duty came before everything and believed the other senshi should adapt that way of thinking, was trying to persuade her not to call upon the others. It was a greatly disappointing sight in deed.

Luna tensed, Artemis soft paw resting gently on her back. His big blue eyes were the same as Haruka, begging her to wait just a bit longer before resorting to an all out reunion. Her own conscience felt terminally conflicted, her senses buzzing with uncertainty. As her mouth lay open, words refused to come out, her mouth again closing. If they didn't work fast enough, the future was in danger of being shattered. Closing her eyes, she remorsefully succumbed to their pleas.

"Two days," she said. "If we don't find Usagi-chan and Mamoru by then, we bring back all the senshi and tell the Preventer's who we really are."

Reprieved, Haruka bowed her mind now determined to find Relena, Usagi and Mamoru in the time allotted. As if the heavens had smiled upon her decision, the cell doors opened, Lucrezia Noin standing resolutely.

"Congratulations, you're free."

* * *

In a dry-cleaned button-up blouse accompanied by a deep navy blue pencil skirt, a woman with shocking crimson eyes sat twiddling a newly sharpened pencil between her slender fingers. Half her leafy green tresses were pulled into a tight bun, the rest of her gorgeous strands falling gracefully down her back. A troubled middle-aged woman lay confiding in her on the comfortable sofa the woman had ordered to be custom made from Sweden.

"I just feel empty," the woman said, her brow creased with lines and wrinkles. "I don't know what to do anymore."

The perfectly postured doctor pushed her glasses up her nose, her hands then interlacing in her lap. This was a common case, she found, in many middle-aged retired people. They would come to her complaining of their loneliness and loss of interest in life itself and to them, her response would always be the same.

"Give more," she stated simply.

Perplexed, the woman sat up from where she lay and arched an eyebrow in question. To explain her statement, the green-haired woman embellished on her words.

"Volunteer your time to the needy, open up your horizons and reach out. You only feel alone because you have not taken the time to extend your services."

Still not convinced, the woman turned completely to face her psychiatrist.

"Volunteer?"

The doctor nodded, her lips curving into a meek smile.

"Now Kaio-san, our time is coming to an end. My secretary will give you the number to a volunteer center that has helped many of my patients in the past. They will be more than happy to have you and I assure you your time will be well spent. If you get anxious or feel it is not working out for you, feel free to call me at any time. If necessary I will schedule you for another meeting before your appointment next week."

With a hesitant bob of the head, the patient stood slowly to leave. She had expected to get some kind of medicine but being as her friends only had good words to say about this particular psychiatrist, she resisted the urge to question her methods.

"Thank you Dr. Meioh," the lady said taking Dr. Meioh's hand into a firm shake.

"It was no trouble," she responded. "And please, Kaio-san, try to picture this for what it is. You're going to be volunteering your time to help others feel better about their situations. I think you'll be surprised by the gratification you'll receive on your first day."

Nodding, Kaio-san continued out of the room. The doctor sighed. She had a philosophy, one of which she had acquired over the numberless years she had spent guarding the time gates. She never felt lonely even though she was in deed alone. She never felt forgotten or neglected even though she was often those things as well. She was happy, honored even that of all the people in the world, she was chosen and trusted to protect the gates from everyone and everything. It wasn't until she started thinking about herself that she started to feel empty and lonely. So, she tried to apply that recognized fact to her patients that shared those feelings. By serving others, she had little time to think of herself thus leaving little time to think she was troubled. Therefore, her patients would more than likely experience the same truth.

Her head turned, a lurking presence gaining her attention.

"Taru," she muttered. "Is something wrong?"

From the shadows, a teenage girl emerged clad in a deep violet uniform, her glaive firmly gripped in her hands.

"I think something has shifted in the time gates," she said. "And it doesn't look good."

Setsuna's jaw locked. Her time sensitive conscience was tingling over the past few days, her instincts prodding her to suspect something was happening. Hotaru had volunteered to protect the gates during her summer vacation from school and the fact that she was able to spot a shift when she herself was quite unfamiliar with the patterns was daunting. Certainly, a troubling event was sure to come.

"Jin," she muttered over her phone line.

"Meioh-san," the voice answered.

"Please clear my schedule for the rest of the month, I'm going on vacation."

Stuttering could be heard over the line, Setsuna ignoring it and hanging up. The world was at stake and she knew better than to just ignore it. She walked with Hotaru into the shadows, both figures disappearing in an instant. Pluto and Saturn were prepared to resume their duties.

* * *

Hooded figures stood in formation, their superior pacing leisurely before them. Brilliant white garments hemmed with gold lining were flowing translucently, his handsome features complimented by the fine cloth encasing him. His feet slowed as his body approached one particular figure that held to a staff that stood shorter than the standard. He was quiet, very quiet, too quiet. The man in question shivered nervously.

"Where is the rest of your staff?"

The question sent chills down the man's spine, his voice hoarsely replying in an honest admission. Beads of sweat were forming, the finely dressed superior glaring unceasingly at him.

"Why did you even bother to come back?"

The man had no answer, his eyes shifting nervously for some kind of solution. His breathing became rugged, his instincts pressing him to run and run he did. His superior's eyes just followed after him the man's body inexplicably stopping in its place. The once fleeing man turned, unsheathing a knife and vehemently shoving it into his own gut. The cold eyes of the appearing boss darkened, the body then collapsing to the ground. Unperturbed by the event, he turned his lethal gaze upon the rest of the cavalry.

"Out there lies a loose end, I want you to retrieve it. If they find out what it is before you have brought it back, I will have all your lives."

All figures stood straight, their minds now coursing his determination. In the blink of an eye, they all left with a new mission in mind. The white-haired man still standing inside the deep trenches of a cavernous terrain marched out eventually greeted with an underground city marveled by a serene waterfall.

Alarmed sapphires peered cautiously around, her blonde tresses blowing in the wind. Soulless eyes met hers and she froze, standing courageously without any noticeable fear.

"Who are you?" She asked, her voice quivering slightly with uncertainty.

He sighed.

"I am a seeker of justice."

She arched an eyebrow at this, her feet leading her backwards as he came closer.

"Seeker of justice?" She questioned. "How has kidnapping me become a way to justice?"

He stopped, looking directly at her before again speaking.

"You will see," he said. "They will all see."

He continued forward, away from her and she stumbled to keep up with him. The skirts of her gown caught at the bottom her shoe, her balance thrown off by the fact. She felt her body falling to the ground, her breath caught in her chest with anticipation. She closed her eyes and jumped at the feel of sturdy arms around her. Confused, she opened them to see the steely silver orbs of her kidnapper.

"You should be careful, Princess Relena. It would be a shame if anything was to happen to you."

Her cheeks flushed, as she discretely attempted to straighten herself up, his warm embrace now leaving her.

"You know my name," she said not sure where she was headed with this. "I think it would only be fair that I know yours."

He paused before nodding back.

"My name is Elios."

**How was that?**

**Hope it was enjoyable, still moving pretty slow but I don't want to rush the story because it might compromise the quality…maybe**

**As always, thanks for the reviews!**

_**agoraphobia**: Thank you for your review. I'm so glad you think the characters are well structured and that the story makes sense so far. Often times I get too excited with stories and might just plunge in without any real structure which is thankfully not the case for this story =] I gotta say though, I too miss all the GW/SM fics! There used to be so many that were frequently updated and well worth the read I used to have to navigate to page 2 just to see the rest of the updated fics on a daily basis...oh how times have changed..._

_**Lita of Jupiter**: aha! I didn't even think of their protectors ;) They really could be sisters...or twins even XD And yeah Haruka did pretty good I think with making up a story =] I also thought Rei as an archaeologist was pretty fitting and helps with the story too! I have fun thinking up occupations that the senshi might have now...hehe hopefully they're plausible though._

**Anyways,**

**Thanks for reading!**

**And I hope you'll review! ^^**

**JPandS**


	5. Chapter 4

The area was stale, people still flocking to try and decipher the mysterious totem symbols. No progress was made and Milliardo was slowly losing his cool, every minute mistake causing him to revile with harsh lashings. His patience had nearly diminished, Noin herself almost unable to calm him from his riled up feelings. She understood his emotions, but she knew as he did somewhere beneath all his anxieties that getting impatient was the worst thing to do. So, with much effort, he did his best to remain calm.

Quatre, always so easy to stay neutral, suggested an old friend should be added to the team to which Milliardo was hesitant. However, Quatre was a trustworthy man, one whose instincts and recommendations never disappointed so Milliardo approved his suggestion. So far, the Gundam pilots were devastatingly close to being useless, no leads or hints about the kidnapping surfacing in their grueling attempt to find Relena but a certain local mystery had gained much attention, Milliardo nearly grimacing each time he had stopped to ponder on the subject. There seemed to be a hidden story behind one Tenou Haruka and her speaking cats, one that he most certainly ruled as pointless to his current investigation but still could not keep from being curious about. Ever since he had released her from incarceration, she had been very cautious, never speaking too much when not being addressed and never even taking a single step out of line. She knew the rules well and she followed them perfectly.

Her history was very plain. She had no real guardians as a child, transferring from orphanages and foster homes throughout her youth until she was finally emancipated by court law. Then she took residence in Juuban district where she attended school, roomed with another girl with similar circumstances named Kaioh Michiru, had a full time job at a small repair shop and was rumored to have participated in street races but never pinned on those charges since she was never caught. Her record really was not something much different from the average person and still, Milliardo found himself wondering how exactly she came to be so proficient in her current occupation.

True, she was a soldier in his platoon for about five years now, her natural talent at hand-to-hand combat the most impressive he had seen apart from the five pilots. She fought like a veteran as though she had been doing it for a long time, something that really shouldn't have surprised him since he knew orphanages were sometimes rough. But he just could not escape the feeling that there was something…different about her. Before now, he had regarded her as just a simple talented soldier with no real reason to pay any mind to other than she could be a great asset to the Sanq kingdom when needed but the discovery of two talking cats in her relation drew him to believe that perhaps he was wrong about her. After all, though orphanages often did breed self-efficient and sometimes physically apt teenagers like Haruka, she was still too wise about the heat of battle than was explicable especially since she was never transferred to a care facility within the bounds of war. The pilots also seemed to think there was something about her, something foreign and possibly untrustworthy but again they were met with another investigation to which they could harvest no leads.

"Milliardo."

The platinum blond turned gracefully to acknowledge the person who had addressed him, spotting a rather gorgeous woman beside him. Her lilac eyes were intriguing, silk black hair framing her flawless cream skin softly as it traveled down almost reaching near her waist. Had he not already been a committed man, he would have more than likely started a pursuit for this ravenous woman as she stood confidently before him.

"This is Dr. Hino," Quatre introduced. "She's a very talented historian and even more gifted archaeologist. I believe she will be a great aid to us in this investigation."

Dr. Hino bowed respectfully, Milliardo mimicking her same movement.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Dr. Hino," Milliardo cordially replied. "Quatre has said a lot of good things about you; I hope that it was not too much to request your services so abruptly."

"It was no trouble at all," she said, inwardly thanking her luck at the timely call from Quatre. She had been trying to formulate a way to get into this secret ordinance without having to admit her third eye or seeming suspicious and it appeared that fate had taken the initiative for her, Quatre suddenly remembering her useful services from an old job that he had hired her for, years ago.

"I'm glad," Milliardo nodded and started leading her away to a back room. "I assume you're curious to see what it is that needs analyzing…"

He looked discretely over his shoulder catching her slight nod as they pressed forward.

"We have yet to actually determine the origins of the inscriptions or even a time frame," he explained as he now turned the totem gingerly in his hands. Rei's eyes were transfixed already, an aura all too familiar to her seeping from the small crevices within the object. It wasn't dark, nor was it even threatening, but the quiet hum of ancient magic rung clearly in her senses, her palms getting sweaty as she contemplated the inevitable. "Perhaps you'll have more luck than the rest of us."

He extended his arm out to her, beckoning her to take it. Some inhibited notion brought her to believe that if she was to touch it, she might evoke some extreme display of supernatural force, something she wanted desperately to avoid.

"I have no gloves," she mumbled half-heartedly, running a hand casually through her hair. "I try to handle artifacts carefully and as a practiced archaeologist, I can't with good conscience touch that without taking the necessary precautions to preserve it as best as possible."

Milliardo momentarily raised an eyebrow, Quatre too somewhat piqued about her refrain but he shrugged it off.

"Of course," Milliardo recovered, placing the totem back in its holding cell. "What will you need?"

Rei looked between the both of them relieved that she had not triggered some type of suspicion by her lame excuse and nodded.

"I prefer to work alone," she said. "If that will be allowed, I will be greatly appreciative. It would even be a great relief if I was allowed to take the totem—"

"The totem does not leave," Milliardo interrupted sternly.

Rei bobbed her head in understanding.

"Alright," she said slowly. "Then perhaps you can provide me with pictures of the inscriptions so that I may take them and research what I can with the help of some of my most trusted consultants."

"I would prefer that you not include more people on this investigation," Milliardo dead-panned. "It has been quite a strain already just allowing you to join."

Rei frowned, her fists clenching as she was reminded of why she hated dealing with men. It was much more peaceful studying dead people since they never seemed to give her as much trouble as the living, Quatre and a few others being the exception of course.

"Well then I'm nearly cleaned out of my resources," she replied. "I don't see how much help I'll be able to give if you don't at least give me permission to consult one friend of mine."

Milliardo's jaw was clenched, his reluctant waiver holding firmly as he mulled over his options. Already he could tell that she was a driven woman, one that did not take kindly to restrictions or imposed upon conditions so she would not rest until one compromise was met. Unfortunately for her, Milliardo himself was quite stubborn too and could not in good mind accept any one of her propositions.

"You will work under the conditions I have provided," he spoke decisively. "No outside contacts are to be made about the inscriptions and you are to stay under the supervision of either Mr. Winner or one of his peers that he deems worthy whenever viewing the totem directly, like all our other researchers. If you find you need some type of consultant to aid you with your study, make friends with one of the people already assigned to this case and pictures are strictly held within the confidence of these headquarters. You'll need to speak with Yuy or Chang to get access."

He exited the room before she could even speak, her lips finely pressed into a thin line. She was not happy about these conditions but took a deep breath before allowing herself to get any angrier.

"Please forgive him," Quatre frowned sympathetically. "This investigation hasn't exactly been the easiest for him to handle so he's been rather unmoving when it comes to protocol."

Rei sighed, feeling a bit guilty about her actions. Perhaps she should have been a bit more compliant. After all this was his sister that was missing not just some random girl.

"I understand," she said taking a last glance at the small totem before they too left the room.

Quatre was now directing her to the main study where most the historians, anthropologists, and various other doctors congregated to labor over the miniscule clues left at the crime scene. From speaking with a few of them she could see that they had no idea what they were looking for, further supporting her inclination that the totem indeed had origins similar to what she had witnessed before in her own life.

"There are specific sleeping quarters for everyone assigned to this case," Quatre informed. "I can show you to your room now if you'd like…"

"That would be—" Rei's heart caught in her chest as her eyes found themselves upon a prancing black kitten who in turn took notice of her. Time appeared to slow as they stared mindlessly at each other, the small crescent moon on the feline's forehead glimmering for one slight moment. Her little black legs continued to move until her body completely disappeared behind a blocking wall.

"Dr. Hino?"

Rei shook her head feverishly, returning her attention to Quatre.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, attempting to regain her composure. "What was that you were saying?"

"Sleeping quarters, would you like me to show you to them?"

"Oh, right," she said. "That would be great if you could."

Quatre smiled, nodding before he again led her to another vicinity of the Preventer's headquarters. Her eyes sauntered helplessly to the spot where she had spotted her old guide, her mind racing with reasons that could explain why she would even find her here. When security was low and she had a chance to speak with her, she would be sure to find out.

* * *

A young female typed vigorously away on her keyboard, big blue eyes glued faithfully to the screen as she scanned the characters hastily. It was a usual routine done daily for the past three years, her fair skin attesting to the fact that she spent most of her hours in doors. It was a trying task, the occupation she had chosen for a career, and she dedicated herself fully to doing the best she could. A deep sigh was released as she temporarily took her eyes from the screen, rubbing her forehead mildly while her eyes attempted to recover. The light from the screen was sometimes difficult to handle and so she was always sure to take a break when necessary.

She yawned, outstretching her arms in the process and pushed herself up from her swivel chair. The room was so quiet, quite contrary to how it often was in the daytime. The rows of empty desks earned a brief smile as the woman padded softly through the aisles to again inspect the floor for any trash she might have missed. She had just a few more papers to grade and then she would be ready to retire for the night. Determined, she marched back to her computer and again started clicking through her students' papers checking resources and making sure their citations were accurate. She was impressed, to say the least, by their vast improvement as she could distinctly remember how feeble their reports use to be when she first arrived. Oh how the tides had changed.

A smile crossed her pert lips as she read through yet another praiseworthy report and with an air of satisfaction, she shut off her computer. It brought her great joy to see her student's work so hard on their studies and tomorrow she would be sure to let them know just how happy she was with their efforts. After all, she herself had been working nonstop to try and inspire them to learn, a goal that she had acquired by surprise at the completion of medical school.

Being the top student at her university and even in the nation, the blue-haired doctor was asked to visit schools and speak to the students about the importance of education to which she humbly accepted. However, to her great horror, she found students to be rather indifferent about the topic altogether, hardly anyone actually committing themselves to initiate their own pursuits for knowledge. They were lazy, unenthused, and mindless and dare she say it plain stupid! When she tried to figure out why, she was terrified to discover that the teachers themselves had actually become much less dedicated to their work for reasons that she could not honestly deduce. So, to make a difference in these poor children's lives, she went back to school to get her teaching credentials and got a job at none other than her own high school.

The start was rocky, students unaccustomed to doing so much work but she held her ground, never compromising her ideal curriculum and eventually, her students realized she would not budge and started to listen. It was not easy, sleepless nights, tears and cries of frustration were plenty along the way, but she somehow managed. Content, she looked around the room once more to make sure she hadn't forgotten something only to find a single ungraded test atop her desk. Quickly she sought out a pen, feeling blindly for something to make markings with. By accident, she fumbled upon a sugar pink stick, a bright blue orb glistening even in the dim lighting on top. She paused.

She had to seat herself down as memories poured into her brain. It had been eight years. Eight years since that day she had finally been relieved of her duties, eight years since she had actually seen her closest group of friends in the same place at once, eight long, lonely, charismatic, adventurous and torturous years. She sighed. The last time she had seen any of her old time comrades was about a year and a half ago. She was rather surprised, but not really since her friend had been making visits quite often beforehand. However, she asked the strangest things never once truthfully, or at least the young teacher liked to believe so, admitting what it was she was up to. Why, her latest request was rather odd and the young woman couldn't seem to get it out of her head for the life of her.

"_What exactly do you plan to do with this?" the blue-haired woman asked as she gazed skeptically at her blonde friend._

"_Well what else does one do with one of these other than use them?" The blonde shrugged in a nonchalant matter._

"_Minako," the teacher grumbled. "You're really starting to worry me with your round-about ways."_

"_Round-about?" Minako questioned. "Ami, I'm trying to be as non-round-about as I possibly can…I think."_

_Ami shook her head in dismay, Minako still buzzing lightly around the faceless creation as though there were nothing strange about the whole situation._

"_Then why won't you tell me what you plan to do with this?" The blue-haired genius asked, her eyebrows scrunched with concern._

_Minako paused for a moment, looking pointedly at Ami._

"_You won't like this," she started._

"_What won't I like?" Ami asked cautiously, anxiety growing._

_Minako bit nervously on her bottom lip, shifting uncomfortably on her feet._

"_You really want to know what I plan to do with this?" She asked hesitantly with a raised eyebrow._

"_Yes," Ami replied. "I did after all create this so I think I deserve an explanation."_

"_Well, I guess," Minako mumbled. "But I really don't think you'll like it."_

"_Minako," Ami said placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "Whatever it is you have to say, I'm sure I can handle it."_

_The blue-eyed senshi of Venus smiled meekly._

"_Okay," she sighed hesitantly. _

"_Well…_

_to be honest…_

_I really have no clue what I'm gonna use it for."_

_Ami's eye twitched hazardously as she stood frozen in place. Was she serious? Ami labored so hard over this experiment counting nearly six mishaps, near expulsion from her classroom and countless failed trials only to find that Minako had no real plans for this? She knew she should have refused Minako's request the moment she heard it!_

"_Minako how could you?" Ami squeaked in a shaky high-pitched voice._

_Minako started scratching the back of her head anxiously, laughing timidly to try and make up for her obviously offensive admission._

"_I know, I know," she waved frantically. "But I really needed you to do this for me!"_

_Ami frowned, clearly upset and turned away in disappointment, head shaking as she replayed numerous precious hours wasted away in this pointless project. She was about ready to just storm out of the room but was stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Still angry she snapped back to look at the girl but felt her heart stop when she noticed the distressed look in her friend's usually playful blue eyes._

"_You don't know how much this means to me," she muttered, her voice far more serious than Ami liked. "I'm sorry if it seems that it was all pointless.."_

After that, Ami could do nothing but nod, still a bit weary about the troubling look in her friend's eyes. She would ask why Minako felt so uneasy but the woman herself couldn't even seem to understand why either. All she knew, was that she needed to do this for reasons that were not yet clear. Ami would expect this type of behavior from Rei or even Makoto, who had decided to move to Juuban district on a whim, but she couldn't really perceive it as natural for Minako especially since Artemis had not been around her for quite some time.

Warily, she shook off the recollection flicking her wrist in just the right movement to make her stick full of memories disappear. She had not heard from her friend since that time, everyday that passed without word from her worrying Ami without end. Though she could detect no suspicious waves of negative energy or surroundings that were out of the ordinary with her computer, she still felt as though something was coming. With that inclination alone, she would always see the burdened eyes of Venus' own soldier, always.

* * *

"Quatre."

The said blond turned swiftly on his heels surprised to see that it was Heero calling him.

"Yes?" He responded.

The stoic stare of Wing Zero's pilot was well accustomed, Quatre curious to see what Heero might have had to say.

"Who was that woman you were with today?"

Shocked, Quatre was a bit flabbergasted since Heero never was one to wonder about the identities of women. However, Rei was exceptionally beautiful easily ranking as one of the few that could manage without having to cover herself with makeup or provocative clothing. So it wasn't too astonishing that Heero, however cold, would take notice of her.

"A woman?" Came another voice, playful and prodding as he appeared around a corner. "He-man did I just hear you ask about a woman?"

The question was ignored as Heero stared blatantly in Quatre's direction.

"That was Dr. Hino," he answered. "She's an archaeologist I hired for an excavation a while back. Why do you ask?"

A high trilled swoon of a sound escaped from the American's amused face as he placed a congratulatory arm around Heero's shoulders.

"He-man's got the hots for an archaeologist?" He grinned. "Is she cute?"

Heero glared at him but the American would not stop.

"Ah, she gotta be if she got _you_ to notice her!"

"Duo, must you always be so immature?" Quatre sighed rubbing his head in attempts to relieve the accumulating headache that always seemed to appear when Duo was around.

"Maxwell immature, sounds about right." Wufei walked leisurely in with his hands in his pockets, face molded in a look of disinterest.

"Wu-man!" Duo squealed. "I still can't get over the fact that you've married a complete babe! Geez, how come my love life's so damn barren? I'm a good looking guy aren't I?"

He pointed at himself as he awaited an answer but impatience led him to throw up his hands.

"Of course I am!" He reassured himself as the others tried their best to ignore him.

Trowa was not far behind, his tall frame almost appearing out of thin air as no one seemed to notice him approaching.

"What's going on?" He asked, Duo grinning sheepishly as he excitedly reverberated the brief words between Heero and Quatre while adding a few of his own embellished interpretations.

"You want Quatre to ask this Dr. Hino out for you?" Trowa questioned with the most movement in his voice than either of them could remember. Wufei too was curious as he never expected Heero to resort to this type of tactic to attract women.

"Duo was being a bit overzealous," Quatre intervened. "Heero never vocalized intentions of pursuing Dr. Hino. But I am curious, Heero, as to why you asked about her."

All eyes turned to the unruly haired pilot as he grunted.

"You didn't notice?" He said, peering expectantly at Quatre.

"Notice what?" he asked.

"She knows the cat."

Duo was immediately silenced, his interest on the cat subject superseding his former interest of Heero's supposed "attraction" to Dr. Hino. Wufei and Trowa both listened in for more details, Quatre a bit uncertain about the revelation.

"You mean Haruka's cats?"

Heero nodded.

Quatre scoffed in disbelief.

"And how, may I ask, did you find this out?"

Heero frowned, looking a little disappointed that Quatre himself was not able to spot the little giveaway from the archaeologist.

"She caught eyes with it as if she was surprised to see her there. The cat too looked like she knew who Dr. Hino was."

"I don't understand," Quatre frowned.

"You were looking away when it happened," Heero explained. "But it did happen."

"Well what're the odds of that," Duo smirked. "Another person recognized our little feline friends that were said to have been nabbed from a mad scientist…you don't suppose Dr. Hino is that same mad scientist do you?"

"Baka, she's an archaeologist, they're hardly even close to being considered mad scientists," Wufei scowled.

"Hey, I was just thinking out loud!" Duo said defensively. "It's not like I didn't know that myself!"

"So Haruka did lie," Trowa stated assuming a leaning position against the wall as he assumed they would be there for a while.

"Just because Dr. Hino may have recognized the cats doesn't mean she knows something. Perhaps she was old friends with Haruka and met them before."

"Haruka said she never told anyone about the cats," Duo reminded.

"It still doesn't mean anything," Quatre insisted. "I think maybe you guys are getting too consumed in figuring out what secret may or may not even lie behind Haruka and her pets."

"She had no cat food in her house or even cat hairs and not to be judgmental or anything but Haruka is hardly the type to clean up. I mean seriously! Cats shed, even if they can talk, they still shed and there's no way she has the patience to vacuum up their hairballs in her free time," Duo concluded.

"So," Quatre responded, stubbornly refusing to admit that he might have been leading up to something.

"So," Wufei stepped in. "These cats came from someplace else."

The ridiculous hype spreading about the case of Tenou Haruka and her talking felines was starting to unnerve Quatre as his faith in the other pilots was beginning to be challenged. Honestly, Relena was kidnapped and still missing but their minds were engulfed in unraveling Haruka's story.

"I don't see how this is relevant to our current mission," Quatre groaned.

"Do you not remember that they broke into the Preventer's headquarters using explosives and hacked the security mainframe?" Heero queried.

Quatre was taken aback by the reminder and surprised that he could so easily forget such an important detail. Ashamed, he remained quiet simply listening to hear what the others had to say.

"So the question of why they broke into headquarters is again brought up," Duo droned. "I don't think its coincidence."

"Hn coincidence is a fool's term," Wufei muttered obviously convinced as well that there was more to the attempted invasion of Preventer's territory than originally expected.

"And they now appear to be known not only by Haruka but by Dr. Hino as well," Trowa remarked.

"So what does it all mean?" Quatre finally spoke up again.

There was a moment of silence, the braided haired man smiling as he seemed to find the answer.

"We won't know until we look," he shrugged with a broad grin splayed across his features.

They each nodded. However childish he appeared, Duo was their best informant able to find the secrets of any person no matter their seclusion and the most savvy with the computer when it came to that type of business. Quietly they agreed to send him off to find out if there was indeed a connection between Haruka and Rei that could better aid them in discovering the true identities of the cats. Until he returned, they would be sure to keep a careful eye on Dr. Hino, Haruka and their feline friends. What was to be discovered would be mind-boggling but they awaited the revelation patiently as they continued in their search for the Sanq kingdom's missing royal lady.

**So…thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Alycee Lanet: **_Thank you for your review. I'm glad you like the story ^^ Currently, I am planning to keep Usagi and Mamoru together in this fic. I'm pretty much 90% sure that it will remain that way. I apologize if this is a let down but I really do like them together =]_

**blackrider11:**_ Nope you didn't miss who Wufei's wife is. I purposely avoided mentioning her name. I'm sorry you have to reread my fics because I lack discipline and patience enough to focus on one fic at a time. There's not much I can say other than sorry and hopefully I can do better about this bad habit of mine..._

**IkariPanda: **_I'm glad you liked this chapter! Usagi as a model/actress was something I thought would be interesting and yeah I hope to use Setsuna's profession as a bit of comic relief in the future if I can XD I can easily picture her sitting down and probing the mental state of some random person on her couch! lol As for Wufei's wife, I guess she does sound a lot like Makoto haha _

**Lita of Jupiter: **_Glad you found it interesting! And yes Wufei's wife is definitely quite similar to a certain character in the SM world ^^;_

**dimonyo-anghel: **_Sorry for confusing you ^^; I kept out the name on purpose so...I guess that's all I can say at the moment even though its not a very well kept secret on my part...XD_

**JPandS**


	6. Filler Circus Flu

***Note: This is a "filler" chapter because I didn't want to post one-shots rooting from this story and add to the 17? story count I have going so far so I decided to add it here. Its just a little snippet not at all related to the main plot of this fic so you can read it if you like but you won't really miss anything if you don't. Anyhow thanks for reading. **

**Happy reading! And reviewing if you like ;)**

Whenever Dr. Hino passed, both Heero and Trowa couldn't help but follow her with their eyes until she disappeared behind a door or a wall. It had become an annoying habit but soldiers so accustomed to unveiling truth could not simply wait for secrets to come forth, they always just had the urge to act. Duo had been gone for some time now, investigating a link between Haruka and Rei if there was one, which they were certain there was. Still, Dr. Hino hid it well never again acknowledging the presence of the felines or their so called blonde owner. She must have been tipped off.

"She's quite attractive," Trowa commented out of nowhere.

Immediately Heero looked at him as if he was an alien only to see Trowa was still casually skimming through historical documents. He half expected Duo's face to pop up and replace Trowa's, but it was not so. With an inward frown, Heero grunted.

"I guess."

Of course he had noticed Dr. Hino's alluring sex appeal but his years of training would not leave him so easily. As other less disciplined males and even females gawked at the archaeologist's beauty, he would only see a mission. Slightly perturbed by Trowa's casual statement that Heero found to be quite out of his character, he started to wonder if in these past few years Trowa had managed to change. After all, Wufei did.

"What?" Trowa asked; face as emotionless as Heero's but not so cold.

"Nothing," Heero replied, eyes turning back to the papers on his desk.

Could he have changed? Heero was growing annoyed by his sudden intrigue of the subject but could not properly alleviate his musings without asking Trowa, which he did not want to do. He was never good at sparking meaningless conversation and this would certainly become a meaningless conversation since it had absolutely nothing to do with their current mission. Still, his urgings to ask would not stop so with a grudging growl he gave in.

"It's been a long time since the pilots have been in one place," he lamely remarked. He was wincing on the inside by how much of an amateur he sounded like but hoped Trowa would not notice.

Trowa gave him a blank look and nodded.

"Almost nine years," he said.

Heero too bobbed his head, shuffling through his papers trying not to look too interested in what he was about to ask.

"So, what have you been doing in those nine years?"

Trowa was reading through various articles and shrugged, looking as uninterested in the conversation as Heero.

"Traveling in the circus."

"Still?" Heero asked.

"Still," Trowa replied.

A silence ensued, awkward to those around them but natural for the two brunettes as they avoided looking up from their stacks of paper.

"Anything interesting ever happen?" Heero awkwardly asked.

He had forgotten already that Trowa was never one to give more details than what was asked for. He didn't go on tangents when asked questions and certainly never flew into rapid recapitulations of past events to an audience so Heero would have to keep asking.

"It's a circus," Trowa stated. "Plenty of interesting things happen."

Heero grunted.

"Anything out of the ordinary?"

For a moment Trowa was silent, mulling over his thoughts as one particular event seemed to stick out in his memory. He was of course curious as to why Heero had suddenly seemed so rapt about what he had been up to in these past years but he thought nothing of it and instead decided to admit the single incident.

"There was one…" he started.

"Trowa are you feeling alright?"

The sinewy figure of a red-head female looked worriedly over the silent clown as she touched her hand gently to his forehead.

"Yes," he replied feebly. "I'm fine."

A flu bug had been flying around and it seemed that his immune system was finally penetrated by its germs. Catherine Bloom, knife-thrower, stood unconvinced with a frown.

"Maybe you should sit out tonight and get some rest. I'm sure Riley will be willing to fill in for you. He is after all the original lion tamer before you came and he trusts me with the knives."

"No," Trowa persisted, standing up from his seat. "I can do the show."

It wasn't that he had some pressing reason why he absolutely had to do this particular show, it was more that he hated to miss things and could never rest knowing that he had. So for the sake of his sanity, he insisted on performing to avoid any annoying regrets later.

The night ran smoothly, his act with Catherine going without fault and his fellow circus members performing expertly at their tasks. He had been drinking water profusely in between acts with Catherine checking on him every now and again. He could hardly discern the progressions of the acts as his attention seemed to meander so easily in no particular direction. With hazy thoughts and frustration that he could not better control his body or mind, he found time to be moving at a slowing pace as his condition steadily started to decline.

"Trowa, you're up next."

The brunette's head snapped up immediately, his feet mindlessly moving him to the curtain where he would make his entrance. His head ached so badly, the audience starting to blur from his position and his body feeling as though an elephant might have stepped on him when he wasn't paying attention. A prolonged drum roll sounded as the announcer introduced him, eliciting a chorus of applause that menacingly rang throughout the tent. Trowa took a deep breath, quite uncustomary to his usual routine, and pushed his ailment aside.

In his usual clown get-up he stepped out to immediately be met by a blinding spotlight. He bowed as he usually had done when entering and commenced to his pedestal. His feet were inexplicably shaky, hands trembling as he assumed it was due to his sickness since he never got nervous, but he ignored it to the best of his ability focusing only on the pedestal.

He scrunched his brow skeptically as he suddenly spotted three pedestals instead of one and shook his head. So his eyes were playing tricks on him, how cruel he silently murmured to himself. Just step onto the middle one. Adhering to this logic, he raised one foot slowly, crowd still cheering as they awaited the start of his performance.

For a split second his eyes for some reason strayed from the pedestal to land on a single audience member who was not cheering. People jumped excitedly around him but still he remained stoic, unchanged possibly even of royal descent. As Trowa's curiosity swelled, it was quickly shot down by the face of his boss who stepped into his line of sight. He was taking too long to start.

Obediently, Trowa returned focus to the task at hand. The pedestal. Foot still raised in the air, he finally met with the platform, using his well-trained quads to help lift him onto the top. Mid-way into his ascent he suddenly felt off balance, his mind shutting off in shock as his body wobbled on the edge. It was a foreign feeling, one he had never before experienced and he was quite unsure of whether or not he liked it. His arms suddenly started to flail around him in attempts to catch himself but it did not help. As his foot slipped from its firm placing, he felt his body suspend in air before meeting with an unlucky crash to the floor.

Heero could not refuse the urge to raise an eyebrow at Trowa's sudden end of his tale. For a moment he waited thinking that the green-eyed brunette still had more to expend but was only met with disappointment.

"That's it?" Heero asked incredibly.

Trowa nodded.

"How was that night any different from the other nights in the circus?"

Trowa shrugged patiently, still skimming through papers in his same stoic fashion.

"I fell and people laughed. It was quite embarrassing."

By the finality in his voice, it could be seen that he did not want to expound more upon the event since it harbored such ill feelings. Heero wanted to acknowledge the fact that Trowa was after all a _clown_ in the circus and clowns were often known for their silly mishaps rather than their mysterious personas but he decided against it. Shaking his head in disbelief mingled with amusement he noted that Trowa had not changed much at all.


	7. Chapter 5

"The Moon princess still having a tantrum?"

The steely eyes of the Pegasus clone bore cinders into Usagi's soul as she gulped unconsciously in response. She had mistaken him for being Chibi-Usa's own Helios but to her surprise he hastily refuted claiming a name that was only one letter short of being the same. She had not been able to discern exactly who he was in relation to Helios but she had a feeling the kind-hearted Pegasus must've been prisoner somewhere else she would not have been taken captive.

"Where's Mamoru-kun?" She asked in the harshest voice she could muster. They had been separated at first arrival, she locked up in a barren cellar and he placed somewhere unknown to her.

"It's not him you should be worried about," Elios commented stoically.

He tilted his head as if trying to catch another angle of her stiff stance and scoffed quietly to himself. Her noble blue eyes swam with determination. For what? He wasn't quite sure but history had always proven the Moon dwellers to be rather lethargic about affection and actions that circled around that principle. They were romantic dreamers often too irrational for his tastes as they preferred imperfect love that often left them confused and suffering over self-reliance and avoiding the unnecessary hassles. That's what love was to him any ways, a useless concept that too often led to broken plans and clouded judgment. His eyes suddenly narrowed, a scowl hastily covering his features as he again observed the Moon princess. It was her fault he had to come to this and it was her to blame for all his troubles.

"I don't know what Endymion sees in you," he muttered under his breath feeling a wave of inhibited emotions crashing at his reserves. Rushed he turned to avoid showing any flashes of humanity. That is what the Moon people thrived on, emotion good or bad. They were the "feely" type set on exploring the indescribable instead of the logical. If he gave her one ounce of movement in his stature, she would cling to it and never let go. That is after all how she came to defeat her enemies. By filtrating their thought process to find the root of all their spite and then using some unfathomable formula to dissuade them from following through with their plans. He scowled once more. And if persuasion didn't work, she would herald the power needed to destroy her target.

"Elios."

The angelic picture of the stone cold Pegasus looked up at the mention of his name, a subordinate standing respectfully in the doorway of the Moon princess' cell.

"Speak," he demanded.

"Planetary guardians have been detected within the bounds of the totem."

His jaw clenched, eyes narrowing in annoyance as he stepped out of Usagi's hearing range.

"We have not attacked for fear of exposing ourselves to the senshi. I have returned to seek your judgment on the matter," he muttered quickly with his eyes cast to the ground.

Elios looked skeptically at Usagi who stood boldly staring in his direction. Had she called her senshi somehow when he wasn't watching and warned them of his coming? He shook his head. Not likely. His scheming had never once surfaced, he being the only one to know of the full extent of his plans with no one to foil them.

"Don't attack," Elios responded.

His eyes were transfixed on the sky blue orbs of the princess, an unrecognizable trait flitting across her over-emotional gaze. For a moment he questioned whether or not she was capable of looking so calculating but disregarded the idea as quickly as it came.

"We'll have to consider the alternative."

It killed him to have to resort to them, especially so soon, but the totem was important. If the senshi were to find its origins (as he was not worried about the humans so much), then his chance at success would diminish. A slight smirk crossed his features as he pictured his trump card. It would be truly magnificent.

* * *

Her violin had cracked. It was old, worn by overuse and threatening to disassemble soon but it was still much too early for its depletion. Her aquamarine pools lay frozen on the intruding crevice tantalizingly haunting the restored wood of her prized instrument as if in disbelief. Her heart was silent, gliding heavily down to the pit of her chest as she reluctantly pieced together the symbols. Her paintings had become more abstract much to her distaste but approved highly by others. She had more income in the past month than she had for the previous six and still she was unable to rejoice.

The years of little tension nearly lulled her to believe that she had been living this way for centuries, creating art, music and swimming with nothing else. However, a nearly inaudible warning resonated weakly in her soul beckoning for her attention. In progressively stalled movements, she managed to finally stand from her seat, setting the disheartening instrument in its case. She hovered there for what seemed like an eternity, trying not to become overwhelmed by her senses. The seas were restless but she had ignored them for her own reasons that extended far from what she was willing to admit.

Unable to withhold any longer from the silent yearnings in her conscience, she pulled out her long unseen mirror with a sigh.

"Neptune," she spoke softly. "Give me guidance."

* * *

It was as normal a day as any other. Wufei had left for work, leaving earlier than usual since he was assigned to the priority case of finding Relena Peacecraft. Though it was top secret, Wufei had openly discussed it with her since he thought it important that she know. After all, they had children whom he loved and to avoid the truth would be a threat to their safety.

Rays of sunlight spliced through the various openings between the curtains, the slender brunette seated on the couch engulfed in her cooking book. Her fingers played with the edge of the pages before turning them to skim another recipe. She never really needed to reference her cook books, specifically because she had managed to memorize every word but in days where she had little to do, it was a nice pass time to make the day go by quicker.

"Mmm, cherry pie." Her emerald green eyes glowed with mirth as she examined her favorite recipe, salivating slightly as she imagined making it.

Unfortunately, her children were not so fond of the desert, preferring cake or chocolate over any type of fruit so she didn't make it often. Wufei too had grown somewhat tired of that recipe, though he would not admit it. But Makoto could see the feigned excitement from a mile away and it always amused her, to say the least.

Reluctantly, she thumbed past her cherished cherry pie to observe another desert and sighed.

2 and ¼ cup all-purpose flour…

2 tablespoons sugar…

½ teaspoon salt…

4 cups pitted cherries…sweet, succulent red cherries…

"Argh," Makoto groaned, shutting her recipe book and rubbing her head. "Stop it." She said to herself as though it would silence her cherry pie ridden thoughts.

She pushed herself up from the couch, stretching in the process before heading outside to check on the twins. They lived in a pretty secluded area, forest surrounding their house for miles. The nearest neighbor was an hour away and the nearest grocery store even farther but she didn't mind. Natural produce was pretty easy to find in these parts and a fishing lake was about a mile south from their humble abode. On top of that, Makoto had a small vegetable garden to occupy her time with and it always managed to produce just the right amount for them every year.

"Xiang, Tenzin!" She called out, walking leisurely through the trees as she tried to find them. "Xiang, Tenzin!"

It did not worry her not to get a response, as they always liked to go to the lake to swim so it would be a while until she got into hearing range. They were great swimmers, learning from their father, and even better at self-defense. A smile spread across her soft lips as she pictured Wufei instructing them on how to fight. She herself was well-versed in many forms of martial arts but never told anyone after high school. She took college as an opportunity to start anew and was sure to never get caught fighting in any situation. Even Wufei would not have known about her knowledge of the subject since she never openly used it unless he did a little homework on her, which wouldn't be such a surprise considering his profession. She tread lightly through the greeting forest, eyes scanning the branches and foliage of the trees. She liked it here. Nature was always her favorite scenery.

A few more steps down the trodden path she came to an abrupt stop. Anxiety sky-rocketed as her head jerked in various directions carefully looking for something. Her breath held she could not seem to spot the obtrusion so she reluctantly continued; now hastening her steps toward the lake.

_Help us._

She froze again, this time certain that someone was out there. She called out for them to show themselves only to again receive no response. Her fists clenched with anticipation.

_Help us._

In her periphery she caught glance of a moving branch and hastily turned towards it. She stepped back, gulping as the leaves seemed to sweep from the tree to form bodies of humans. Her head started throbbing, heart racing in uncertainty and yet the figures in leaves gently grew closer, reaching towards her in a pleading manner.

"Mom?"

She snapped her head to the side to see Tenzin hand in hand with Xiang.

"H-hey," she replied weakly, shakily turning to find an empty forest with no strange figures made of leaves.

"Are you okay mommy?" Xiang asked tugging at her mother's dress.

Makoto pushed a fake smile and nodded toward her sweet little girl, heart melting at the sight of her concern. She knelt on one knee, kissing the girl on her forehead for reassurance.

"I'm fine," she lied. She lifted Xiang's tiny frame into her arms and stuck her hand out for Tenzin who firmly gripped it.

As they walked back to the house, Tenzin skeptically gazed into the grove where his mother had timidly stood. Something strange was approaching; he could feel it in the pit of his chest.

* * *

"Who is it?" Heero asked as he watched Wufei's features tense.

"It's Maxwell, he got a lead."

Heero nodded, quickly shutting the door behind him as the four pilots huddled around the phone that was now on speaker.

"You guys have a laptop handy?" Duo asked.

"Yeah," Wufei replied grabbing one from the table.

"Hook it up and I'll wire you the information."

Obediently, they set up the computer for reception as they awaited Duo's report.

"Now get this," Duo sounded excited. "I couldn't actually get evidence that Haruka and Rei knew each other but I found something that might help."

A picture of the blonde pigtailed celebrity was sent onto the laptop.

"Tsukino Usagi," Heero muttered. "What does she have to do with any of this?"

"You know her?" Duo squealed over the line.

Heero groaned.

"Explain why she's important," he ordered.

On the other side a laugh was heard, Duo leaning comfortably against the compartment walls of the phone booth.

"Tsukino Usagi attended another public school in this same area and was said to be good friends with one Hino Rei though they did not go to the same academy."

"Go on," Heero prodded.

"Well," Duo grinned excitedly. "Good friends of Usagi claimed she was a normal girl like anyone else and had a house pet that seemed to always be lurking around her. It was a black cat."

The others all seemed to be in disbelief. "And you think this cat is the same as the one Haruka owns?"

"I've got a pretty good feeling that it is. They said she had a crescent moon on her forehead and that Usagi was sometimes seen talking to her as if they were carrying a conversation."

"And Artemis?" Quatre queried. "Was he her pet too?"

Duo laughed lightly. "No, she just had one kitten prowling around her but there's more…"

"What else did you find?" Heero asked, still unconvinced by the importance of this newfound information.

"Hn well now this is where things get a little weird, even for me. There's a local legend around here about a mysterious group of girls that prance around in miniskirts battling evil with their supernatural powers. At first I thought it was pretty ridiculous until I researched it a bit more. In England, they had similar sightings dubbing the heroine as—"

"Sailor V," Quatre finished.

"Ay Q-man, you a fan?"

The blond blushed.

"No, one of my sisters used to idolize her when we were younger."

"You don't say," Duo muttered. "Anyways, the descriptions of these mysterious girls in Japan are identical to the descriptions of Sailor V in England."

"So," Wufei interrupted getting frustrated. "Get to the point Maxwell!"

"Alright, alright," he smirked. "About a year after the first Sailor V sighting, all sightings in England stopped only to conveniently resume in Japan where a supposed Sailor Moon resided. I checked to see if I could find anyone moving records for people from England and found a couple who had a daughter."

A picture of a bubbly looking blonde with blue eyes popped up, a bright red bow tying some of her hair back as she smiled. She appeared so innocent not at all hinting as someone that they might need to take caution of, but they knew Duo never included people unless they held high importance to the tale.

"She's a fine looking babe, isn't she?"

"Maxwell, the point." Wufei scowled.

"Geez can never just agree with me can you?" He whined.

Quatre's stomach churned as he anticipated the explanation from Duo, ignoring the poignant similarities this unknown girl had held to his own sisters. He didn't know why but he was growing inexplicably anxious about the whole situation as if they had stumbled upon something that might be larger than they had originally expected…much larger.

"Her name is Aino Minako, relocated to Japan with her parents from England and attended the same school as Tsukino Usagi herself.

"So."

" SOOO," Duo replied sarcastically. "She also had a little feline house pet but with a much different color coat…"

"Artemis." Trowa spoke for the first time.

"Bingo," Duo answered. "And guess who was in her little circle of friends!"

"Dr. Hino?"

"Among others," Duo replied. "I can't quite link Haruka to them yet but Tsukino Usagi, Aino Minako and Hino Rei were definitely close friends back in the day. I guess they had a few other friends in that circle too but I haven't gotten anything on them yet. Not too many people seem to have too much to say about 'em unless its about Usagi herself. Do you guys have any idea how many stories I gotta sift through about her to see what's true? I hate investigating celebrities."

"Hn," Wufei scoffed ignoring Duo's whining. "You've actually managed to find something somewhat interesting, Maxwell," he commented.

"Glad to win your confidence, Wu-man," Duo mumbled. "But what do you guys think about this whole senshi business? The timing for this Minako girl popping up is uncanny. I mean seriously, how many people migrate from England to Japan at the exact same time Sailor V sightings stop in England and resume in Japan?"

"Are you suggesting they're real?" Quatre raised an eyebrow. Trowa and Heero had not seemed to think so but surprisingly, Wufei had appeared to be entertaining the thought.

Intrigued, he earned the inquisitive glances of his fellow pilots minus Duo. Of course the idea was ludicrous that a group of teenage girls held unmentionable power and fought against creatures from the shadows but after the strange events that had passed in the Preventer's headquarters, Wufei could not in his right mind ignore the slight chance they might actually exist. It was clear now that Haruka had more than lied about the origin of the cats but their involvement was still not quite depicted well enough. Exactly what were they hiding? A link to the senshi and a secret of identities seemed to fit too well in the mystery.

"Uhm, guys?" Duo spoke hesitantly. "Still there?"

"Yeah," Heero's voice pierced through the silence. His stoic eyes remained on Wufei who was too proud to vocalize his consideration of the senshi possibility and he proceeded with the meeting. "See if you can dig up more on this legend and contact us if you find something."

"If you say so," Duo mumbled, the phone clicking on the other end.

He sighed as he hung up the phone and pulled out a picture from his pocket. Not many people knew too much about Rei, Minako or Haruka apart from what he had already discovered and Rei's grandfather was old and delirious so he couldn't get answers from him. Supposedly there was still a girl here that he had yet to meet that went to the same school around the same time as Usagi and her group of tight-knit friends. She had yet to be named as a friend to either of them but he had an inkling that he should try her out since she was tested as a genius and genius often had good observation skill as well as memory. Blue hair popped out only to match the big blue eyes innocently peering from the photo.

"Well Dr. Mizuno, looks like you've got a date with yours truly."

**Whew, the story is very very very slowly moving along. Also, a note, I won't post a filler chapter unless I have a real chapter to go up at the same time since I know fillers aren't always favored. Just wanted to put that out there! **

**Thanks to all who have taken the time to read and thanks to those who have also taken the time to review! I truly appreciate it! ^^**

_CleverBast: Thank you for your review! I will do my best to dry my best with this fic! Hopefully it stays on point!_

_agoraphobia: I'm so glad you approve! And I'm glad the details were noticeable! I have to admit I'm pretty stoked about this story just because its got a lot going on with no particular focus on any one single character which I don't really do too often lol since I openly admit I am extremely partial to Makoto XD I hope that doesn't show too much in here though I know it will sometimes appear by accident. By the end my goal is to have most characters in this story play a significant role that equals out amongst the whole group, if that makes sense ^^;_

_Lita of Jupiter: Thank you for your review! I hope you were not disappointed to find that Makoto is in deed Wufei's wife. I know I sounded sketchy concerning that since I was planning on postponing her identity longer but have taken an alternative route and revealed her sooner =] And I'm glad you liked the filler too and found it to be funny. I enjoy humor but when I write it I'm sometimes not successful but maybe I can learn to get better at it! As for Makoto being likely to invite people to her wedding. The fact that Wufei is her husband kinda alludes to why she wouldn't but I've been working on a little side-story about her and Wufei but haven't quite finished. Hopefully I'll finish soon and post it as either a one-shot or a filler chapter._

_Alycee Lanet: Thank you for your review! And hope you like this chapter!_

**There's a part I have decided to cut out, a deleted scene I guess lol. So for no particular purpose at all I thought I'd add it at the end for those who would like to read it. There's nothing missed though if you decide not to but this scene was intended at the beginning of the chapter so hopefully that helps makes sense of it =]**

**Deleted Scene**

"Well you got back quickly," Wufei remarked with a sneer.

Duo simply shrugged.

"What can I say; I'm a master of detective work!"

"What have you got?"

"Nothing," he groaned running a hand through his bangs. "Hino went to an all girls private school, was a priestess in training until she left the Hikawa shrine to go to college. Tenou on the other hand went to a public school where she graduated and took an internship at a foreign car factory. They've got absolutely no ties to each other!"

"Baka, did you know their schools were in neighboring cities?"

"Wait, what?"

"You really are an idiot."

"Hey," Duo shouted in protest. "I'm American!" He said. "I didn't grow up knowing Japanese geography like you? Wait a minute…aren't you Chinese?"

Wufei hissed, smacking Duo in the head.

"We've been to Japan numerous times. You should have had their streets memorized by now."

"Psht," Duo grunted. "I save my memory space for important things. Besides, if I memorized geography like you, I'd have no use for the mapquest application I bought on my phone..."

"Mapquest is free."

"What? Dammit I got scammed again!" Duo yelled nearly throwing his phone across the room before catching himself at the last second. As if truly mortified of his aggressive impulses, he stroked his phone tenderly whispering soft consolations to it. Wufei raised an eyebrow but shook it off.

"Couldn't you have just surpassed the fee anyways?"

"That would be dishonest, Wu-man! I may run and hide but I never tell…er…never mind."

"And you're supposed to be a genius…"

"Hey, I resent that!" Duo pouted, Quatre watching in amusement. Some things never changed…

"So then," Quatre said. "There's still more to find out."

Duo frowned in his direction, drudgingly clunking towards the door. He was hoping the investigation was a dead end since he had finally caught glimpse of the archaeologist that had caused such a stir in the perfect soldier. Her slender legs and ruby red heals were what stood out to him most, his eyes hardly ever straying from the smooth skin of her calves and her well-shaped ankles. While most men spent time looking at women's breast or even butt, he had always been enticed by their legs and hers were perfect. Of course Wufei's wife had killer legs too but since he didn't feel like getting a beating from his Chinese friend, he tried his best not to look. It would be such a shame to leave without a chance at charming the fiery _and_ single Dr. Hino but he proceeded anyways. Waving disdainfully in his leave, he couldn't help but depart with a few grumbled phrases.

"Sometimes I think you guys purposely give me difficult tasks just to get me away from you. I better get laid while I'm out there."

Quatre scoffed at Duo's comment and shook his head as he watched the American's plaited chestnut hair swinging behind him. He turned to Wufei in time to catch him roll his eyes before heading back to the research facility to see what came of all the work. Of course Quatre knew there were still no leads but surprisingly, he felt as though they might be on their way to finding something. A small hopeful grin on his face, he went his own direction to see what progress was made.


	8. Chapter 6

"Minako-chan! You are so strange sometimes, making such serious faces for no apparent reason," teased a petite brunette as she playfully nudged her blonde roommate.

Minako momentarily blinked in confusion before hastily covering her expression with a sheepish grin.

"Old habits die hard," she said with a laugh.

"I'll say," her new friend remarked, linking arms with her roommate and dragging her across the hall. "Now let's get going before the lines in the cafeteria get long, I'm starving!"

As the chipper collegiate tugged, the blonde drudgingly followed, her eyes again burdened with a mysterious weight. As peers passed she would quickly paste on a bright smile that would only fade as soon as they were out of sight.

"Would you look at that?" Her friend cried out. "Free waffles!"

She went to again tug her blonde companion's arm but could not manage to move her. Curiously she peered back, Minako's eyes directed elsewhere.

"Minako-chan?"

Frozen, the girl did not respond, her brow scrunched with anxiety, as she seemed to catch sight of something unsettling.

"Minako-chan?" She repeated, this time waving a hand in front of her friend's face.

"You go on ahead Misa," she finally let out. "I've just remembered that I was supposed to do something."

Before Misa could make any protests, Minako had already jutted through the crowd. Throwing her hands up in defeat, the petite brunette could only frown.

"Another secret assignment for a nearly nonexistent roommate," she mumbled to herself as she watched the traveling blonde strands disappear behind a door. This was beginning to be a routine for the pair and Misa was certain it had absolutely nothing to do with school.

* * *

"Dr. Mizuno?"

A well-kept blunette quickly popped up, her big blue eyes blinking sweetly behind her spectacles.

"Yes?" She answered as she discretely straightened herself up from her hunched over position from the file cabinet.

A smiling brunette was standing determinedly at the door of her classroom, cobalt blue eyes friendly whilst he gave a slight bow.

"I'm Agent Sandrock," he said flashing his fake badge just long enough to avoid being too suspicious. "I've come to ask a few questions."

"Oh," she muttered, taking a seat at her desk. "Is it about one of my students?"

The brunette shook his head in disconfirmation.

"No, not at all," he said, earning a look of relief from the young doctor.

"That's comforting," she noted, eyes following him slowly as he found his way to an empty seat. She couldn't exactly place why, but she was beginning to grow anxious.

"I'm certain it is," he said with a nod. He situated himself comfortably before exhaling and pulling a manila folder from the inside of his trench coat. The doctor's attentive eyes were instantaneously glued to the object, her body stiffening as soon as she caught sight of one of the pictures.

"You went to school here, didn't you?" He questioned to which she nodded in affirmation. "Did you happen to know any of these girls?"

She gulped, the action thankfully going unnoticed by him. For a moment she contemplated her response until she finally answered.

"I knew of them," she stated. "They were here around the same time that I was. Usagi Tsukino and Minako Aino, right?"

"Correct," Agent Sandrock replied. "Would you be able to tell me anything about them? Anything…strange?"

Ami's heart jolted unexpectedly, the image of Minako plaguing her mind especially after their most recent encounter of perplexing circumstances. With a gulp she shook her head, her eyes far from revealing truth.

"No," she spoke smoothly. "I can't say that I've really interacted with them enough to notice anything strange. From what I could see, they were typical high school teenagers, crazed by hormones and worshippers of retail therapy."

"I see," Agent Sandrock replied with a frown. He ruffled his hair for a moment before sighing and decided on pulling out the third picture.

Feeling as though he ran into another dead end, he asked if she could identify her, a cool answer spawning quickly.

"Rei Hino," she responded. "She was a priestess in training at the temple a few blocks from here. I believe her grandfather is still there."

"In body perhaps," Agent Sandrock muttered, rubbing his head as he recounted that encounter. "Now, apart from what you've already shared, is there anything else you can tell me about her."

Ami stared at him and shook her head, no. He groaned, heaving himself up from his seat and nodding in her direction.

"Well then I guess my work here is done. If you find anything, please give me a call," he said handing her a card.

"Of course," she curtly responded watching him until he was out of sight.

As soon as he was gone, she let a deep exhale escape, her hand reaching for a bottle of water that soothingly coursed through her scratching throat. She rubbed her head carefully and reluctantly continued to glance into an unopened pocket of her bag that she carried everywhere. The feeling of discomfort would not leave her, as the fact that the recently dismissed man had inquired about not only Minako but Usagi and Rei as well seemed to resonate in her chest. There was a distinct connection amongst the three that she knew perfectly. And if she wasn't careful, it might be revealed that she too shared in that secret tie. With a despairing sigh, she reached for the long sealed pocket and found the long unseen watch shining in her token colors.

She flipped it open and called for an old comrade who in result would not respond.

* * *

Rei released a long-withheld sigh as she hovered over the break room counter, running a hand through her hair methodically as she tried to sooth her frustration. Though the fire had revealed to her a scene of alarming proportions, she was unfortunate to learn that it would reveal nothing more. When she learned of her own princess' disappearance her heart wrenched in panic, running hastily to the fire for answers. However, as she would repeatedly beg for insight and knowledge, the fire would never support Luna and Artemis' worry for their missing royal pair. Thus, here began the overwhelming frustration that Rei had pent up inside as she too was unable to sense the danger circling around her missing friends.

As she heard the door to the break room open, she smoothly pulled herself from her distressed position placing an idle hand on the refrigerator and opening. A chill pushed through her spine and immediately she knew who it was that had entered.

"Has your team found any success in the investigation?" She asked dryly, grabbing a cold bottle of water in the process. She glanced over her shoulder to spot the stoic brunette at the coffee machine, his Prussian blue eyes indifferent as he took up the task of refilling the coffee.

"If we had, I wouldn't be in here," he replied coldly.

Rei scoffed, taking a much-needed gulp of her water before sitting at the table with her processed lunch. Food choices weren't plenty in these headquarters so lunch never was enjoyable. Why, she often found herself envious of the carefully wrapped parcel of food she had often seen in the arms of Wufei Chang when he arrived in the mornings. If only she were able to make friends then perhaps she would have something to look forward to in this straining mission.

"I suppose you wouldn't," she responded bitterly, reluctantly tearing open today's bland selection.

She was well aware of the suspicion they harbored for her, but she would not let herself be bothered by their distracting qualms since she had much more pressing issues on her mind. As she felt their eyes burn holes through the back of her skull she would often turn cold, wondering constantly why they would waste their time with insecurities in their staff when Relena Peacecraft was amiss and still far from being found. She supposed it was because they had no hope in finding who had taken her and perhaps Rei was more at ease because she had seen first-hand how she was kidnapped. So, while they had absolutely no clue where to begin their search, she was more than able to find a starting point. As she mindlessly poked at her food, she pondered once more whether she should reveal to them her secret but immediately she refused. Quite frankly, she was not ready to reveal something so personal and aside from that, she had the sneaking suspicion that matters would only worsen should she choose to unveil a world just under their nose that they probably never thought existed.

Surprise flashed in her eyes as she saw him take a seat across from her. A clean mug of coffee in one hand and a matching bland selection of lunch in the other were seen as he soundlessly unfolded a file and skimmed its content. Unfazed, she brought her amethyst gaze back to her own food. Usually he and his friends would always eat at their desks but it wasn't unheard of for a person to change their habits every now and then.

"And what of you," she heard him question awkwardly as his monotonous tone slightly faltered. It was clear he was forcing conversation. "Have you found any substantial leads?"

Rei shrugged, coolly blowing on her food before taking a bite.

"You said it yourself, Mr. Yuy," she started with a smirk, "If I had then I wouldn't be in here."

"Hn," was all she heard, papers rustling softly in the background. "And your feline friends?"

Rei's hand was stopped in mid-venture towards her mouth; unnerve rippling through her as she found herself gritting her teeth. It was true, they never said aloud how they suspected her of foul-play but the idea that one of them would comment with so much assumption on a topic they knew very little about proved to be off-putting.

"Feline friends?" She mimicked with rising irritation. She couldn't even feel the words leave, a deep exhale expounding in attempts to sooth an already prickling ego. "Harboring some irrelevant mistrust, I see."

"Irrelevant?" Heero raised a brow, putting a complete stop to his mindless file skimming as he gave a cold glare which Rei unflinchingly matched. "Those _cats_ –"

"Penetrated the Preventer's corps defenses and managed to blow up a large portion of their headquarters," she interrupted dryly, "Spare me the details."

"And yet you don't seem to think much of it," he gruffly observed.

She shrugged, knowingly disturbing him by her lax mannerisms on the subject.

"Why fret over a topic that dims in comparison to the fact that the Sanq Kingdom's princess is still unaccounted for and rapidly losing leads in her case?" She shot him a heartless glare, her limbs now aching for her to leave.

"Who's to say they themselves aren't a lead."

Perturbed amethyst eyes locked with his unmoving Prussian blue gaze, the stare down only adding more tension to an already terse conversation.

"So, those responsible casually waltzing into your headquarters just to be caught is a normal occurrence?" She queried with a scoff, "It hardly seems logical."

"It's just as logical as the idea of talking cats with human intellectual levels and extensive knowledge of explosives, I'd say," he remarked coldly.

"Tch," she scoffed in irritation, standing from her seat in detestation. "It's clear this conversation will go nowhere. You're completely bent on worthless conspiracy theories and my patience for it is nearly spent. So before this turns into something more unfavorable," she stated, "I'll just take my leave. Enjoy your lunch, Mr. Yuy."

She was almost out the door before she caught the frigidly loaded question he had managed to sear out of his suspicious throat as she paused a moment to consider it.

"Are you really so ill informed that you have absolutely no idea what might be going on here?"

Guilt was hard to negate as she momentarily sympathized for the ignorant group of Preventer's corps investigators and Heero specifically. He seemed like the type that couldn't sleep when caught amidst a situation that could not be rationally explained. Just by looking at him she could see he was having trouble adjusting to the fact that they were lost and desperately drowning in a place where she had much more experience than they could comprehend at the moment. Still, exposure was not ideal and she and Haruka had already formulated a plan to recover not only the Sanq Kingdom's missing princess but theirs as well. Though these men and women of the "normal" world would ultimately remain ignorant to a universe of supernatural proportions, they would eventually be soothed by the return of their princess. This alone was the thought that helped ease Rei's resolve as she solemnly replied.

"I'm just as lost as the rest of you."

It hurt to lie but she knew it had to be done. She left quickly, the cold air drafting in as Heero remained seated in the discomforting confines of a pale gray walled room, his knuckles pale as his hand gripped chokingly around his coffee mug.

* * *

Duo sighed, leaning back in his chair as he propped his legs on a coffee table. After his brief meeting with Dr. Mizuno he decided to stop once more in the principal's office, mulling around casually as he tried to sweet-talk the secretary for some more information like old school files and what not. He was successful, to say the least, but these files were fairly useless as they only gave him information about student grades and kept a detention log. Within the log he confirmed that Usagi Tsukino and Minako Aino were certifiably inept at making it to school on time as they were frequently punished for tardiness. Besides that, their grades were hardly even enviable. Thus, it was hard for him to believe that these two could be involved in a larger kept secret concerning the cats.

Still, he was not convinced enough to ditch this investigation as his stubborn nature reigned in to force his focus on other possibilities. Now, Ami Mizuno, on the other hand, was virtually the perfect student. She was never late, never missed a day of school, never missed a point on an exam, and the list of nevers continued further. Yet, Duo had a sneaking suspicion that he was overlooking something. Perhaps it was because she appeared so flawlessly clean and he could never believe that a person could be so…well, perfect. After all, from experience he knew that sometimes the nice ones were the people with the most shocking traits. Take for example Quatre. He was a sweet guy, the sweetest, in Duo's opinion, but the angelic blond was one of the most feared pilots in history…He scoffed.

With a long sigh, Duo dragged his feet from atop the coffee table and lazily pulled out his laptop. As he mindlessly scrolled through links, meandered through websites, he found himself again staring blankly at the homepage of the infamous high school Usagi Tsukino had attended. Agitated and to the brink with frustration, he nearly pushed his laptop off the edge of the coffee table, barely able to resist the urge as he huffed a click onto the school mission statement. Like a large billboard ad, Ami Mizuno's photograph popped up in a bright frame, an equally long description written below her portrait. Bored, he skimmed through her profile, reading about her research efforts, extensive credentials, community service, and so on and so on. He exhaled again, rubbing his head as he noticed the description extended for pages. This Dr. Mizuno certainly was no slacker. In a less than interested manner, he pressed his finger on the down scroll, words racing past his eyes as he droned for the finish line.

A slight tremor rippled through his brain when he glimpsed a particularly important sequence of characters, his finger ripping from the down scroll and carefully moving the document upward. He leant forward with anticipation, cobalt blue eyes nearly kissing the screen. His heart skipped a beat when he found the words he had been searching for, breath holding as he read Ami Mizuno's biography.

"Dr. Mizuno has single-handedly doubled the amount of school sponsors within her tenure here by aiding a wide-range of successful businesses in research and science. Some even offer summer internships where our students gain first-hand experience in different fields of study. Just last summer, three students were granted an internship under the prestigious Rei Hino to join her in her excavation of ancient Egyptian tombs…" Duo grinned.

"So, Dr. Mizuno," he smiled, "Looks like you've doused in some pretty convincing lies. I wonder what else you could be hiding…"

Excited and far from a depressed state, he found himself springing from the couch with his coat in hand. Ami's lie seemed to fuel a new burst of energy in Duo as he grabbed his keys and rushed out the door. People only lied when they had something to hide and he couldn't wait to see just what this blue-haired doctor was trying to protect.

* * *

Haruka sighed as soon as she closed the door, pulling out pictures which she tossed onto her bed. It was tediously difficult to get these copies but luckily her charm proved rather useful as she found photos in the hands of a bashful researcher whom she had distracted with charisma whilst she took pictures with a nifty camera Luna had produced. That cat had devices for days and Haruka wondered how exactly she inherited such things…

Alas, Luna and Artemis were quick to pounce to the photos, pawing gently as they hungrily skimmed the inscriptions. Waiting expectantly, she pulled up a chair and hunched over patiently with her elbows resting loosely on her thighs. Rei couldn't pick up any readings or find answers, so like in the old days, they found themselves turning to the feline pair wiser than any living creature Haruka had ever met.

Haruka's navy blues looked up with anticipation when she noticed Luna's body stiffen. Even Artemis perked up, his white fur standing in anxiety.

"What is it Luna?" He asked cautiously, padding softly until he was right beside her.

Still silent, Luna took a step back, gulping frigidly as her mind seemed to find a matching recollection to these foreign symbols.

"Luna," Haruka called impatiently, finding her legs pushing her up from her seat.

Luna's large eyes shot towards her, a dryness overtaking her throat as if mentioning this realization would be a devastating turn.

"I've seen these before," she trailed reluctantly, Artemis' eyes curious as he waited for more.

"You have," Haruka sounded relieved, "What are they?"

Luna gulped, her head lowering in disdain.

"Ancient hieroglyphs from Elysion."

* * *

Hey! Long time no see! ^^;

Special thanks to those that reviewed (sunshinebymoonlight, ShiTsukisama, TopazDragon, Makoto A. Yakushi, Anonymous 25, oombala, agoraphobia, Sakura Lisel, Alycee Lanet, Lita of Jupiter, and Cleverbast!). I am so glad you all like this so far and hopefully its still okay! And of course, sorry for my lack of drive to continue. I'll try to work on that.

I honestly thought I may never be able to return to this but then somehow I managed to make this (I mean the last update for this was 11/17/2010 and now its 3/5/2012 yikes!). I hate abandoned stories so I am attempting not to abandon this one and some others. So far my goal is a monthly update for any unfinished story so we'll see how that goes. Besides I hear when you set a goal you're more likely to produce something or something like that...who knows.

Anyhow, sorry its short but I hope it is a bit interesting. Let me know what you think, feel free to ask questions and I'll do my best to keep going.

Thank you for the reviews and more importantly thank you for reading!

JPandS


	9. Chapter 7

"Morning Doctor!" Came a chipper voice filled with excitement. "I would have never expected you would have ended up as an archaeologist! It's so shocking but at the same time so fitting!"

Rei gulped, turning with surprise to spot her old friend who smiled brightly with flowing gold hair behind her.

"Minako-chan," she greeted, a broad smile slowly spreading across her features.

Minako smiled wider, tilting her head with a nod. An overwhelming sense of elation spread through Rei's body, old memories coming to mind as she embraced the girl in a warm hug.

"It's been so long," Rei said, surprisingly happy to see someone she hadn't seen for years. She wasn't always the most sentimental but it seemed she valued her old friends much more than she even realized herself. "What're you doing here?"

"Well," Minako replied, "I was in town and heard that you were here preparing to embark on your first excavation in a few days and knew I couldn't leave without coming by to wish you luck!"

Rei laughed, "That's sweet," she said. "Say, I've got time for lunch if you do…"

"Of course!" Minako cheered, linking arms with Rei as they made their way out the door.

They found themselves entering a popular diner, their booth tucked away in a corner where they ordered their meal and patiently waited.

"So tell me," Rei started. "What're you up to these days?"

Minako blinked a moment, shrugging her shoulders as she took a sip of her water.

"Nothing too spectacular," she replied. "Just been traveling, trying to find my place in the world, so to speak."

Rei nodded, salivating slightly when the food finally arrived.

"That's nice," Rei commented, jumping up when remembering a recent shocking experience. "Did you see Usagi's commercial?"

Minako seemed just as excited, bobbing her head excessively as she smiled.

"I did!" She exclaimed. "I nearly fell out of my seat when I realized who she was. She looks so gorgeous on TV!"

Rei scoffed.

"She does," she admitted. "But I can't help but wonder how many takes it took for her to get her lines right."

The two laughed, nibbling on their entrees while making conversation. It was a nice change for Rei. She didn't acquire many friends in school; rather, she gained admirers who often bugged her with their constant praise. So to be able to talk freely and without much focus on herself, she was immensely appreciative, suddenly growing with reminiscence as she wondered what her other friends were doing now.

When they finished their burgers, they sat back in satisfaction, Minako devilishly ordering milkshakes the two of them knew they could have done without. But, Minako convinced Rei that while she was away from civilization and digging up dead people she would regret not grabbing one while she still had a chance. Thus, Rei agreed to Minako's logic and waited ominously for her Vanilla milkshake as she sat with a protesting stomach.

She sighed.

"Take your time bringing them out," she told the waiter. "We both could use some more time to let our food digest before we gorge ourselves again."

Minako laughed, smiling brightly. As the waiter nodded in understanding, she rushed off to leave the pair silently in their booth.

Blue eyes stared quietly out the window, pedestrians littering the sidewalks as she mindlessly observed their actions. Rei too found her eyes straying out there, a contemplative expression plastered on both their faces.

"Remember when we used to stare out the window of restaurants with the others, just watching people as they passed by?" Minako asked, her eyes still trained on the strangers minding their own direction.

"Yes," Rei affirmed. "It almost felt like we were staring into another dimension. I always felt so closed off back then."

Minako smiled, tearing her eyes from the window to look at Rei.

"You don't still feel that way today?" She inquired.

Rei shrugged, watching the people as they passed.

"Not really," she replied, not completely conscientious quite yet of why she felt differently.

"I see," Minako said, Rei's eyes flitting to her by the strange tone in her voice.

"Do you still feel estranged?" Rei queried, watching as Minako hesitated slightly, pulling her chin to rest against her hand.

"Sometimes," she admitted with a wry smile.

Rei felt herself pique with concern as she wondered the reasons why Minako might bring up such a subject. Uncertain of how she should approach her friend's estranged feelings, she fell silent, sympathetically searching for something to say. However, it seemed Minako would be the one to carry this conversation.

"Do you ever wonder, Rei, what the history of this planet might be?" She asked, Rei taking a moment to contemplate the question.

"What do you mean?" She finally asked as she got the hint that Minako wasn't referring to things that were written in textbooks.

The milkshakes arrived as Minako pondered a response, both thanking the waiter before she again dismissed herself.

"Well," Minako started. "We know the tale about the Moon and our home planets, how life was simultaneously wiped out everywhere except Earth and Serenity had sacrificed herself to reincarnate us. But in all of that chaos, amidst that war, what exactly was happening on Earth? How were they able to survive destruction?"

Rei frowned, caught by surprise that she had never stopped to consider that fact.

"I doubt Earth was ever a target in the first place. After all, it seemed the war on the Silver Alliance was based on a jealous Earth woman who was scornful enough to seek out power greater than she had anticipated. I doubt that she wanted to destroy her own home," Rei stated, poking with disinterest at her milkshake.

"And so Serenity sends us to the very place responsible for the destruction of our homes."

Rei glanced to Minako, who appeared smiling as she ate away at her chocolate milkshake. She pried for some type of scorn, spite or anything of the sort but could only find a smile and blue eyes that were so light in nature that Rei could hardly detect an ounce of disfavor.

"Minako," she stated firmly, "Are you alright?"

Minako laughed a bit, smiling brighter as she nodded.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "I must sound weird with all of these questions and observations on such an old subject. I've just had so much free time that I sometimes can't control where my mind wanders off to. Do you like your milkshake?"

Rei hesitated, then nodded.

"It's okay," she said, "the milkshake, I mean."

"Really?" Minako asked happily, "You still have so much left! You need help finishing?"

"I might," Rei replied, pushing the milkshake to the center of the table. She was troubled by the sudden change in Minako's nature, her amethyst eyes scouring the blonde for any faults in her features. Still, she could find nothing.

"Are we human?"

Rei looked up in surprise, not expecting such a question as she caught Minako's serious expression. She certainly didn't like the ever changing colors of Minako's conversation but she was captivated by the stern expression Minako had made as she genuinely pondered the question.

"I assume that we are," Rei answered. "I mean, we have human parents, don't we?"

"I guess," Minako nodded, sipping once more at the vanilla milkshake in the center of the table. "Then do our powers just come to us because we're the reincarnated souls of planetary princesses?"

"Minako," Rei exhaled, "You're really beginning to worry me with all these questions."

The blonde laughed, trying to make the aura lighter as she beamed.

"Oh Rei, it's all just for curiosity's sake! You know I never like to think too deeply about these things, I'm just scoping for your opinion," she smiled. "But if you don't like the topic, we can talk about something else! Like…oh, the new movie Usagi-chan will be featured in. Do you plan to watch it?"

Apprehensively, Rei felt her suspicions rise, her mind wondering whether she would let it drop or pursue their previous conversation further before Minako decided to avoid dispelling her reasons for bringing up their past life. With a dry throat and tired soul, she chose to take the subject change and go along with Minako's supposed attempt at light-hearted conversation.

"I'll be in Cairo at the time of the premier," she said. "I'll probably try to watch it when I return to Japan."

They continued for another half an hour, leaving afterwards and walking leisurely back to Rei's place. Amethyst eyes often found themselves trailing to the beaming blonde who appeared carefree and happy despite her altering expressions in the diner. When they reached Rei's apartment, Minako hugged her goodbye, turning to leave as Rei watched her from her door.

It caught her by surprise to hear herself speak out so suddenly, Minako's body frozen in place as she caught ear of Rei's voice.

"I remember once, wondering why we couldn't revive our home planets," Rei had said, gulping in unease as she questioned whether it was wise to share this or not. "After all, the Great Freeze would heal the Earth and a kingdom called Crystal Tokyo would rise to guide and protect this planet. I also found myself asking why we couldn't do that on the Moon or Mars where life is so close to being possible. It has always been strange to me that we would sacrifice ourselves and our strength to this planet alone while leaving the rest of the universe barren and dry."

"I used to wonder the same thing," Minako muttered, moving forward as if to leave.

"Minako," Rei interrupted, stalling the blonde briefly. The raven-haired woman was at a loss for words, not quite certain of where she was going with all this. So she sighed in disappointment and said the only thing that came to mind. "Take care of yourself."

Minako turned around with a bright smile, that image being the last Rei would see of her for years.

"You too."

* * *

Luna purred, stretching out in feline fashion as she managed to win the affectionate awe of the on-duty guard. She quickly picked herself up, prancing playfully as her tail swayed behind her. A sweet meow sounded from her black cat body, her eyes large with innocence as the on duty Preventer swooned with adoration.

"You are so cute!" She squealed, rewarding Luna with gentle petting behind her ear. Luna blushed, finding it hard to purr in delight as she prodded the Preventer to continue scratching. "How adorable!"

Rei scoffed, laughing inaudibly at how persuasive Luna's performance was. She nearly let her amusement show when Luna actually started to let her feline tendencies take over, her cute little head bustling for more petting behind the ear as she pushed against the Preventer's hand.

"She likes you," Rei commented smugly.

"She sure does," the Preventer cooed, smiling brightly as she coddled the kitten.

"Well, I know its short notice and I'm supposed to get permission from Mr. Winner or Mr. Yuy to see the totem, but do you think I could go in there and take just a quick glance? It'll only be a second."

"Of course, of course," the brown-eyed Preventer replied. "Just don't tell anyone about it and make it quick, okay?"

She pressed the button soon after, a buzzer sounding as the door opened. Rei bowed graciously, smirking as the Preventer waved her off and kept her eyes on Luna. There were certainly many advantages to being a cat.

Hastily Rei keyed in a sequence of numbers, waiting patiently as the glass casing around the totem had lifted. She glanced behind her to be sure no one was looking and once satisfied, she reached in her jacket for an identical totem custom made by Artemis whose ingenuity and craftsmanship was unmatched by any species. She took the actual artifact and replaced it quickly, faking a few turns as though she were genuinely observing the item and not stealing it.

Once satisfied that she had spent enough time looking it over, she returned everything to its place and stepped outside.

"All done," Rei chimed with a smile.

The Preventer jumped, looking at her in surprise.

"That was fast," she said, averting her eyes quickly to look inside the secured room. She sighed in relief when seeing the totem was still there and nodded.

"Well, I didn't want to get you into trouble by taking too long," Rei reasoned. "Besides I just had to check an inscription real quick so I could reference one of my old books. I think I might be onto something."

"Really?" The Preventer chimed in relief. "I'm sure Mr. Peacecraft will be excited to hear that."

"Mmhmm," Rei agreed, "But don't let him know just yet. I don't want to get his hopes up for nothing…"

"Sure," the naïve woman replied. "I won't say a word!"

"Thank you," Rei cordially responded. "I'll be on my way then."

"Good luck Dr. Hino!" The woman called after her. She sighed and again checked for the totem, finding that it was still in its place. Once she was certain all was okay, she looked expectantly for the temporarily neglected cat that recently stole her attention. With a curious gaze she found herself looking at an empty space, her head turning every which way to see where that cute thing could have gone. With a disappointed sigh she gave up, drudgingly turning her attention to her computer to find yet another surprise.

"Hm," she huffed, "When did I open this?"

With a shrug she gave up thinking on that topic too, closing out the security camera feeds and yawning in the process. Beneath her desk was a relieved white cat, his breath escaping in a sigh as he managed to fulfill his task without discovery.

* * *

Duo was never one for tabloids but the story on the front cover captivated his attention the moment he saw the pigtailed blonde's picture. With mild curiosity he opened the magazine, skimming the article in search of the meat.

"Famous couple's retreat to a secret getaway home may be a cover for a kidnapping?"

After that line alone he wasted no time in paying for the thing with the change in his pockets. It was true that he was en route to one Dr. Mizuno's house but the story seemed to derail him as his attention jumped full-fledged into this new conspiracy theory.

"A formal ransom has not been requested but Ida Rubella, the Chiba's house keeper of three years, believes the beautiful couple has been kidnapped. Monday morning when she arrived at the happy couple's loft she was met with an apartment where things were strangely well ordered without a single item out of place. Bashfully she admits that Usagi Tsukino-Chiba has never been the most organized person saying, "It is not normal for their house to be so clean. If it was, then I wouldn't have a job." Though a clean house that isn't ordinarily spotless is hardly grounds for suspicion, the mystery does not stop there. Usagi's agent claims to have been called by Mrs. Chiba's mother who was quoted as saying her daughter and her husband would be going on vacation indefinitely. When met with paparazzi on her front porch Monday afternoon, mother of Usagi Tsukino, Mrs. Tsukino denies ever calling her daughter's agent or her son-in-laws peers. She explains, "I don't even have their home phone number. Usagi always forgets it so how do expect me to have the numbers of their bosses?" Keen observation Mrs. Tsukino!"

Duo laughed in amusement, skipping a few paragraphs as the madness continued. More theories were formulated as half-baked speculations were described throughout the story. As he neared the end of the article he started to regret having spent his change on this useless magazine.

""I just want to be sure Mr. and Mrs. Chiba are okay. They are the sweetest people I have ever known and it would kill me to see them get hurt," explains Ida Rubella, housekeeper of three years. She even expresses her concern for the couples' adored Ying and Yang pet felines—"

"What?" Duo gaped, bringing the magazine close to his face as he read the italicized _Page A3 _in reference to the mentioned "Ying and Yang pet felines". He flipped the pages quickly, almost dropping the magazine as the image read perfectly in his eyes.

Two cats posed innocently for the picture, black fur next to white as crescent-moons shimmered on both their foreheads. Duo put a disbelieving hand to his head and shook it.

"And the coincidences just don't stop."

* * *

"Ready?"

Rei nodded as Haruka leant patiently against the wall. The sandy blonde sighed, pushing off the wall and nodding back.

"How good are you with your skills these days?" Haruka questioned with a smirk.

"You'd be surprised," Rei laughed as she pulled out the totem.

"Still need to transform to draw out your powers?" Haruka inquired.

"Do you?" Rei challenged, a wave of heat brushing through the air as the chill wind shivered around them.

"Hn," Haruka scoffed. Luna and Artemis observed nervously from the side, anxiously hoping for the best.

"You two be careful," Luna advised. "There's no telling how much strength Elysion has revived."

Both senshi nodded. It was strange being the only two involved at the moment, but both Rei and Haruka were determined to succeed. They jumped off in a heartbeat, leaving the Preventer's Headquarters far behind them.

"You think they'll be okay?" Artemis inquired.

"I hope so," Luna replied.

* * *

"It took you long enough," commented an unenthused Milliardo Peacecraft who glowered in the direction of the stern woman before him.

"I apologize for the delay," she stoically replied. "But you're not my only client, Mr. Peacecraft. Though you may be placed on a pedestal by the rest of the world, I make it my duty to treat all my clients equally and your call was last minute. So naturally I had to take care of those that actually made an appointment."

Milliardo frowned, regretting his decision to try to guilt her when immediately remembering she was never one to just back down.

"In that case, I'm glad you've finally made it," he gruffly responded, suddenly taking notice of a teenage girl with short, violet hair. "And this is…"

"Tomoe Hotaru," she answered. "I've recently become responsible for her. I hope you don't mind that she'll be accompanying me during my stay here."

"It's fine," Milliardo stated. "So long as she doesn't get in the way."

"She'll be at her best," the ruby-eyed woman affirmed. "Now for the security system—"

"The mainframe is still in the same place. Please direct yourself accordingly, I've recently acquired a mission I cannot ignore. I hope you can understand, Dr. Meiou."

Setsuna nodded, watching skeptically as Milliardo paced away from them. Hotaru came up close behind her, quietly asking if she should do something.

"It'd be best to lay low for a while," Setsuna explained as soldiers ran to their orders. An escaped researcher and soldier were reported over the intercom and a pursuit mission was in quick assembly where weapons were handy and men and women piled into planes for departure. "This is in Haruka and Rei's hands now."

* * *

Makoto hummed, rolling out a newly prepared batch of cookie dough onto the counter as Xiang happily sorted through the cookie cutters to pick out her favorites.

"No Tenzin?" Makoto asked, taking notice of the unusually solo child.

Xiang sighed, shaking her head.

"Tenzin's busy training," she said with a frown.

"Really," Makoto stated with interest. "Alone? You guys feeling okay?"

"Of course," Xiang chimed, smiling brightly at her mother. "But lately we've been seeing things in a different way," she explained. "Tenzin would rather train more and I just want to do what we normally do."

"I see," Makoto responded. She continued to roll, her hands firmly pressing against the rolling pin until she was able to level out the dough at a sizeable thickness.

"Mommy?" She heard Xiang ask.

"Yes sweetheart?" She replied, still adamant on getting the dough spread out.

"Is daddy a superhero?"

She ceased her movement, looking up with surprised green eyes and then smiling.

"I suppose in a way he is," she said brightly. "After all, he protects the peace just like a hero so yeah, I'd say daddy is a superhero."

"Mom," Xiang whined with a frown, "A superhero doesn't just protect people, they have to have superpowers too! Does daddy have any superpowers?"

Makoto nearly laughed as she watched her daughter's expression grow stern and serious. With a sigh, Makoto leant forward on the counter, contemplatively tapping her chin in thought.

"Well," she smirked, "Your father can fly…"

"Only because he's a pilot," Xiang rebuked with disappointment.

"But doesn't that count as a power?" Makoto inquired enthusiastically.

"Only if you can fly without a machine!" Xiang pointed out.

"Oh," Makoto replied, again going into deep thought as she pondered more features of her husband. "Well he once fought off about twenty men at once, perhaps he has super strength."

Xiang groaned in frustration, shaking her head as though she were caught in a highly unfavorable situation.

"Dad can fight off many men at once because he's trained to do it," Xiang explained. "But a superpower is something you gain by accident or without knowing."

"Wow," Makoto chimed with enlightenment. "You are very bright Xiang, I honestly never knew there were such distinct differences between skill and superpowers."

"I only know because Tenzin told me," Xiang admitted. "He's been reading a lot about it, I think."

"Hmm, that Tenzin sure is insightful and studious. He must get it from his father," Makoto smiled, Xiang nodding in agreement. "Now how about we choose which cut outs we want for these cookies, huh?" She suggested.

Xiang suddenly jumped with excitement, bobbing her head enthusiastically as she went for hearts and crescents.

"Mommy," she sounded again.

"Yes sweetheart," Makoto replied adoringly.

"Tell me the story of the Moon princess again."

"Alright," Makoto sighed, taking a seat next to her daughter as she helped cut the cookies. "Long ago there was a princess who lived on the Moon."

"Mom!" Xiang whined. "With more detail!"

Makoto laughed apologetically.

"Okay, okay," she sighed, taking a deep breath. "Long ago there was a BEAUUUTIFUL princess, whose golden hair flowed like silk and blue eyes shone like diamonds. She was a kind princess, one who loved full-heartedly and treated people warmly. She was known to the world as the Moon Princess, defender of peace and keeper of justice. Come to think of it, I think she and your father would get along pretty well, don't you agree?"

Xiang laughed, nodding in agreement. Makoto smiled.

"Well, on with the story, the Moon Princess had many friends but some would say the princesses of the inner planetary system were her closest. She spent much of her time with the Princess of Mars whose element was fire, the Princess of Mercury whose element was ice, the Princess of Venus whose element was light and the Princess of Jupiter whose elements were thunder and nature."

Xiang seemed to blink with surprise, her hand suddenly freezing in place as she listened to the descriptions.

"The Princess of Jupiter had thunder and nature?" She queried.

Makoto thought nothing of the question, nodding as she realized that this was the first time Xiang had ever acknowledged the descriptions of the Moon Princess's friends. Usually, her daughter would vehemently beg for her mother to get to the part about the Moon Princess' forbidden love with the Prince of Earth but today it appeared she was a bit preoccupied with the minor characters.

"Yep," she said, continually cutting out hearts and occasionally opting for stars.

"Could she…like…talk to trees, or hear them whispering?" Xiang asked, Makoto blinking slowly before looking to her.

"At times," she said. "Why?" Makoto queried with a soft smile, finding it a bit curious that Xiang should suddenly be interested in such details.

"N-no reason," Xiang replied, quickly resuming her task with her crescent-shaped cookie cutter.

Makoto caught herself frowning suspiciously, her head shaking quickly afterward as she discarded her concerns. It seemed Xiang had forgotten about wanting to hear the story but Makoto didn't mind it as she quietly placed the cookies on sheets and went to place them in the oven.

"Mom?" She heard Xiang say.

"Yes dear," Makoto responded, her head watching the cookies as they sat in the oven.

"It's dark outside."

Makoto looked up in surprise, now catching a glimpse of the dark gray clouds rolling in from the horizon. She went to the window in shock, a discomforting churn ripping at her gut as she felt goose bumps ripple across her skin. Mindlessly, she stepped outside, Tenzin standing there on the porch with just as much astonishment.

"Is this normal for this time of the year?" Tenzin had asked, Makoto pulling him close to her side subconsciously.

"No, it's not," she stated dryly. She looked nervous as she watched the sky darken, her senses quaking as she felt anxiety wash through her.

"Mommy?" She heard Xiang say, her hand tugging lightly on her dress.

Makoto looked down, smiling for reassurance.

"Let's get inside, you two. I wouldn't want anyone getting sick."

She ushered her twins into the house, closing the sliding door quickly before gazing out into the distance. The rain started to pour and for the first time in a long while, she felt thunder sparkling around her in the succinct moment that it rumbled through the sky.

* * *

Haruka cursed, dropping her resolve to remain perfectly human in the Preventer's sight and firing a large surge of energy at the tormenting beast behind them. She could see the soldiers' astonishment and knew she'd have a hell of a time explaining it but at the moment her deepest concern was getting out.

She and Rei had been able to infiltrate the cavern without difficulty but as they slinked around the corners and dark halls of this underground place, they realized they had been followed when Elysion's revived followers had captured two teams of Preventers.

Conflicted, she and Rei opted to separate and find the two teams in hopes of getting them back home. With the known breach, she was certain their chances of finding Usagi, Relena and Mamoru were completely depleted. Frantic and growing weary, she pushed the soldiers through the dingy halls, her eyes wincing when noticing the hazardous injuries they had acquired from the supernatural captors. Two men had already been killed and she couldn't help but feel guilty for it though she knew she couldn't be blamed entirely for their mistake.

"How many of you came?" Haruka questioned through grit teeth as she grabbed one by the collar.

"T-Two teams of eight," he answered. "And more outside."

Haruka's jaw clenched, her hand releasing the man as she hid in their temporary corner. She doubted the enemy would leak to the outside since a core number of people were starting to retreat inward. In the worst case, they'd probably send one of their ancient creatures thought to be extinct to handle them, but Haruka thought that highly unlikely.

She glanced down, sighting a soldier with a severe cut in his right leg. Scoffing, she pulled her useful handkerchief and wrapped it around his wound. The men seemed shocked that she'd help him in that way and she couldn't help but shake her head in disapproval.

"I work over half a decade with you soldiers and the moment you see me shoot light out of my hands you assume I'm the enemy," she frowned, turning back to look around the corner to gage the situation.

"Listen closely," she said in a hushed voice, the soldiers straining to hear her. "When I run, I want you all to stay directly behind me. Don't try to be the hero and fight cause you won't win, not with these animals on our tail. If it looks human, shoot it, if it looks like a dinosaur, let me handle it."

The men nodded apprehensively, a sigh escaping as Haruka gripped her abdomen inside her jacket. Back in the Silver Millenium she remembered her father used to buy monstrous animals from Earth and transport them to Uranus. They were used for security and land transportation but Haruka remembered them best when in the training room. Her father was always suspicious of Earth and since the other planets lacked such large creatures he thought that it was Earth's finest advantage. Hence, Haruka was placed in combat against them ever since the first day she could walk. Queen Serenity always challenged her father's brutal training sessions, claiming he should at least wait until Haruka's planetary powers kicked in but he refused. Haruka scoffed, if he saw her now and the way she struggled against the very monsters she once trained with she was sure he'd be scowling in disappointment.

"Ready?" She asked, the men nodding behind her as they prepared themselves to sprint, the largest soldier opting to carry his injured comrade on his back. "Let's go."

Rei's resolve to keep her powers under wraps while in the presence of the Preventers was soon dissolved as she melded the fire into a large bow and arrow and shot with precision. The monstrous beasts were difficult for her to combat, their speed and raw power often surprising her when she tried to tactically maneuver herself through the cavern. Her weaker fire attacks only bounced off their armored skin, her bow and arrow the only option as she aimed for openings in the creature's armor.

All eight soldiers were still alive in the squad she found but half of them were hard of hearing as their ears bled out disparagingly so it was hard to direct them.

She breathed heavily as she tried to calm herself enough to sense Haruka's location, her sixth sense wavering severely due to fatigue and stress. She cursed herself constantly for her sloppiness, her mind racing to see where she could have slipped up and gotten the Preventers to follow them. Even en route to this cavern, Rei should have sensed them. If only she wasn't too preoccupied with finding Usagi and Mamoru at all costs then perhaps they could've avoided this unwanted turn of events.

Forcefully, she compelled herself to stop thinking of her mistakes and instead focus on getting out. With sweat dripping from her body she closed her eyes, searching desperately for Haruka.

"Found her!" She breathed out, the soldiers staring at her hesitantly. She ignored their expressions and peered around the wall to see what they were up against.

Elysion's soldiers were retreating inward, but their vicious guard animals were still on active duty. She cursed. If it were the soldiers, they would all stand a better chance, but with those animals where bullets bounced off and only Rei's powers could penetrate, she could feel the overwhelming strain on her conscience.

"Dr. Hino," one man had spoken, her eyes skimming to him coldly. He looked concerned, brown eyes shining with determination despite his trembling hands that clung tightly over his gun. They were scared and Rei couldn't blame them. They weren't used to things like this and she was certain they never expected it could be possible.

"My mission was to capture you and bring you back to the Preventer's Corps for interrogation," he stated. "But my first concern is for my men. Please—"

"Tch," Rei scoffed in frustration. "You don't need to say such useless things," she cut him off. "Isn't it obvious that my intent is to get you fools out of here?"

He winced, apologizing with a slight bow before retracting his plea. She frowned, briefly glancing at the scourged men behind him and exhaling.

"Haruka's nearby, if we catch up to her, we might be better equipped to get out. Stay close!"

Haruka heaved hazardously, her body wracked with exhaustion as she pushed through with the platoon behind her. These creatures were harder to defeat than she remembered and the power it took to take them down was starting to take its toll on her body.

She jumped when she felt the wind change, the large horn of an oversized bull barely grazing her arm. She bounded off the stone walls, drawing out her sword as she went to swing. She made a large crater in the ground where she landed, the bull dodging the attack and charging back in to skewer her. She went to dodge but struggled when the weight of her body refused to let her carry herself. She cursed, the soldiers fruitlessly shooting at the bull only making it angrier. Preparing herself for the hit, she focused her power on creating a barrier, her heart thumping louder as the bull grew closer.

She could almost feel its breath blowing on her, the fight in her wavering as she anticipated the painful contact.

Her body flinched in surprise when she felt someone land in front of her, her eyes shocked when she saw a wave of raven hair, a fiery bow and trained arrow in full flame. Rei's calm aim centered on the beast's head, her fingers releasing exactly as the horns were about to delve into her chest. She breathed heavily, her crouched position still intact as her bow burned in her hands.

"Hn, I guess I should thank you," Haruka remarked playfully, Rei frowning at her joking nature when in a serious situation.

"I almost didn't make it in time," Rei bitterly responded.

"Why fret with the almosts?" Haruka reasoned. "They mean practically nothing when you do succeed."

Rei rolled her eyes, picking herself up from her position and helping Haruka off her knee.

"Let's just get out of here," Rei groaned, looking to Haruka's rescued crew and back to her own.

"Thirteen," Haruka counted. "You lost one."

Rei's fist clenched, her temple twitching with regret.

"He took a bite for his friend," she said. "There was no saving him."

"So they've released the carnivores," Haruka tensed. "We should move quickly then."

Without another word, they were off, fumbling as quickly as they could for the exit. One of the men howled in pain, forcing the group to take a moment as they huddled in a small compartment with Rei and Haruka as the watchmen.

"You seem to know a lot about these creatures," Rei commented, Haruka nodding beside her.

"The outer planets weren't quite as involved as the inners about maintaining peace. We were more comfortable preparing for battle just in case whereas Queen Serenity and the inners focused on dimming down their defenses to show how determined they were to prevent war. Naturally, we outer planets studied Earth's defenses, agriculture, species and geography religiously since we knew they'd be the ones we'd have to fight if a war should arise. Their magic is fairly mediocre but their resources have always been superfluous. Back then we'd never battle them on their home ground, it was considered suicide."

"Because of the number of species they have here," Rei stated.

Haruka nodded.

"They always kept it secret how many existed, but my father was vigilant and had spies who worked in the black market on Earth and bought the most dangerous animals for transport to Uranus."

Rei scoffed. "I would have never suspected Earth was this dangerous."

Haruka laughed. "Of course you wouldn't," Haruka stated with a smirk. "You were one of the Silver Millenium Hippies trying to spread love not war. Tell me, did it ever work out between you and that Earth general?"

Rei glared daggers at Haruka, the blonde truly amused by her reaction. She had always known the outers were more informed than they were but she accounted that to their difference in age. However, she didn't think there was such a difference between them in ancient times too.

"Look, Rei," Haruka suddenly sounded stern, the princess of Mars attentively listening. "With the carnivores on the loose, there's no outrunning them. Not with this group."

"What're you saying?" Rei replied, anxiety welling as she noticed Haruka's eyes grow serious.

"They'll catch up to us soon. Especially now that we've stopped."

"Then why didn't you say something sooner?" Rei almost yelled, anger flaring in her eyes.

"No use contemplating that much," Haruka sighed, ruffling her sandy hair in the process.

The two were quiet, both knowing what would have to be done in order for most of them to make it out alive.

"We can both stay back and let them run out as we stall the carnivores," Rei said quietly.

"I thought you might say that," Haruka laughed. "You inners are always so bent on teamwork."

Rei looked at her gravely then diverted her gaze to the group of bloodied soldiers who stood no chance of survival without them.

"Then why let me say it, if you've already decided what's going to happen?" Rei questioned solemnly, her heart wrenching at the fact that she'd have to do this.

"Just wanted to see if I was right about you," Haruka smirked. "Seems I am."

Rei shook her head, getting onto her feet as she motioned for the group of thirteen to do the same. Haruka pulled out a cigarette, sheepishly asking Rei for a light.

The girl scowled, but torched the end of the stick without falter.

"Don't make me regret this," Haruka told her as her ears perked when hearing the familiar howl of the carnivores.

"You better not die," was Rei's parting phrase, Haruka scoffing at her words.

"Can't really promise that," she muttered to herself as she turned away from them. The ground shook as she shot the walls with her power, stones falling to create a wall behind her. The first carnivore came bounding towards her and she started with a blast straight through its heart.

Rei wasted no time in hustling the severely injured men out of the cavern, her fire blazing whenever she met with an enemy who had straggled behind. Once outside, she was forced to stop, suspicious soldiers taking aim at her as they rushed their returned men to the medics. Her body was fatigued, unable to cope quickly with the excessive use of her power as she struggled to stay standing. Obediently, she raised her arms in the air, her soul relishing in anger as the Preventer's deemed her a prisoner and took her into captivity.

* * *

Thank you for reading! There was quite a bit of action going on here and some placement of senshi in different places. I hope it was enjoyable or bearable. Action is definitely difficult for me to write so I tried my best! Again, thank you for reading and of course I am especially grateful to those that reviewed! It is much appreciated!

Kagayaku: Thank you so much for your review! I'm so flattered that you like it so much and my only hope is that I'm able to keep it interesting and believeable! That, I'd say, is my main goal ^^ Again, thank you for your review. I am always so excited when people leave comments good or bad! So, in short, your review was very helpful in motivating me to continue!

nadeshiko-yuna: Thank you so much for your review! And I know what you mean. I had to reread this a few times myself to remember what I had written but once I realized where I was trying to go with this I got so excited and had to update it! lol ^^; I am super happy that you were able to fall in love with this again and your words of encouragement are always so nice! Thank you again for your review! And I hope these latest updates were enjoyable!

Comments and suggestions are always welcomed! Disclaimer: I do not own SM or GW.

JPandS


	10. Filler Red Star Flakes

Filler 2: Red Star Flakes

A/N: This is a filler. There's a small important feature in this chapter but if you skipped over it there would be no trouble. All brief mentions of things that'll be significant later will be explained when they show up so never fear! Hope this does not offend and provides some comic relief after a slightly gloomy chapter before this. Oh and as promised, with this filler is a regular chapter (Chapter 7) which is new and before this. Let me know what you think!

Thank you for reading!

* * *

"You're looking glum," Luna observed from beside him, his sigh adding more to his depressed nature. "What's wrong?"

Artemis shrugged, falling lazily to the ground as he stared monotonously out the sliding door to the gaze at the luxurious view from Usagi and Mamoru's expensive loft.

"Nothing," he said. "I'm just reminiscing."

"Hmm," Luna hummed, sitting patiently next to him as she too stared out the window of the sliding door. "You could go visit her, you know?"

Artemis looked up, and sighed, scratching his head with a paw as he nodded.

"I know," he replied.

"So," Luna prodded. "What're you waiting for?"

The white cat couldn't seem to find an answer, his eyes skimming the horizon for a clue that would never come.

"I just…" He huffed. "I just kind of feel like my sudden appearance could be construed as an omen."

Luna laughed warmly, wise eyes lowering as she took in his insecurities.

"I understand what you mean," she said.

Silence ensued heavily, the two deeply strained with memories of the girls they had wished they could peek in on. It was, of course, nice to be in the constant companionship of Mamoru and Usagi but the other girls were also dear to the two and they sometimes yearned to visit though they never seemed to make it.

In truth, they were afraid. They knew that their appearance only reminded the girls of their duty as the senshi and the last thing they wanted to do was provoke fear in the girls that their powers would be needed soon and that the lives they worked to gain would have to be postponed. Hence, they never could quite bring themselves to visit the senshi in this time of peace.

"The first time I met her, she was just a kid," Artemis reminisced. "Thirteen years old, can you believe it?"

Luna scoffed, "That is hard to fathom," she admitted.

"And I expected so much from her," Artemis frowned, his eyes hardening as he recounted his stern admonitions. "She wasn't much different from Usagi when we first met. Mainly she was more athletic and less of a crybaby but her compassion for people was just the same as Usagi's along with her quirkiness."

"Every day I'd push her, lecture her about how important this mission was…" Artemis drifted. "She'd always just nod but sometimes I felt like she didn't understand so I'd lecture her more. I had suspected she was the leader and so I thought I needed to be hard on her just so she'd be ready but now that I look back, I only lectured her because I didn't trust that she really was capable of performing her tasks."

"We've all had our moments of doubt Artemis," Luna intervened. "You're not the first to question whether or not either of these girls were actually capable of rising to their callings."

"I know," Artemis replied. "But it still pains me to think I could have had such little faith in her. She gave up everything she loved, volleyball, friends, just to appease me and all I could do was doubt her."

His eyes began to water, a labored breath escaping as he somberly wiped away the tears.

"She was just a child," he said.

"They all were," Luna replied.

Stoically they watched as the sun set, the colors in the room dimming as the cool night breeze started to seep in through the windows. The curtains ruffled with air, the pair heavy-hearted as they recalled their past deeds. At the time where demons roamed freely, they were desperate to keep the peace even if it meant sacrificing the youthful years of a group of teenage girls. But, now, when free time was plenty, they had many hours left to settle in regret of their actions.

"But look at them now," Luna started to say, always being the more optimistic of the pair. "Usagi is a famous actress, Rei is a sought after archaeologist and I hear Ami has taken up teaching. They each have an opportunity to regain their dreams, to accomplish their goals. It wasn't all bad."

"Any word on what Makoto and Minako are doing these days?" Artemis queried in his attempt to ease his guilty conscience.

"Not recently," Luna replied. "But I'm sure those two are fine. I can hardly imagine them being less than okay out there. After all, they've fought monsters, aliens and the like since their teenage years. How hard can it be to live in the real world?"

Artemis laughed, appreciating the picture Luna had drawn. It was true. They faced much worse before adulthood so it was difficult to picture them struggling amongst normal human beings. He took in a meditative breath of air, breathing outward to release tension as his muscles started to ease and his heart started to lighten.

"Besides," Luna again spoke. "The girls have always been known to exceed our expectations."

Artemis smiled broadly at that, bobbing his head in affirmation as he fondly recalled the many proud moments he had with them and Minako especially.

"They always came home," he said. "That's what I loved most about each of them."

This time, it was Luna's turn to nod in agreement. Smiling, much in contrast to his previous brooding, Artemis stretched out and picked himself up from the floor.

"Feeling better?" Luna asked.

"Much better," Artemis replied, his tail wagging behind him.

"Good," was Luna's simple response.

"Artemis, Luna, dinner's ready!" The two cats' ears perked with delight. Their light feathered steps gliding across the floor as they entered the kitchen.

Usagi was beaming from the counter, excitedly waiting for them as they came around to their bowls.

"I got you guys a treat!" She cheered, bringing a brown paper bag from behind her back. "Bon a petit!"

Luna's tail wagged gaily as she saw the red star flakes pouring from the bag. She was certainly enthralled by the surprise, her head immediately immersed in her bowl as she chowed freely. She purred with approval, Usagi smiling behind her. It was Mamoru who had noticed Artemis' devastating reaction which called Luna and Usagi's attention once he made mention of it.

"Artemis, are you okay?" Mamoru questioned with concern.

Luna's ears perked, her tail ceasing its happy wave as she turned to look beside her. In a melancholy heap, the white cat was on the floor crying, Luna's eye twitching at the sudden change in his behavior.

"Umm," Usagi sounded above them. "Did I do something wrong?"

Artemis sniveled, shaking his head to say it wasn't Usagi's fault.

"Minako-chan used to put red star flakes in my bowl to let me know she was out searching for the enemy," he wailed.

"Oh," Usagi said, "I never knew."

"Neither did I," Luna muttered, sighing in discontent as she shook her head in disapproval. She loved Artemis unconditionally but sometimes he was just too melodramatic for her to bear.

"I've ruined her childhood!" He bawled. "I don't deserve to be forgiven!"

Luna sighed, rubbing her head and motioning for Usagi to leave him be.

"Don't worry," Luna assured. "I'll take care of him."

The black cat then proceeded to nudge her feline companion out of the kitchen, his sobs shaking every so often as they paced out into the hallway. Usagi watched with concern until they disappeared, then released a sigh as she frowned at the bowls of red star flakes.

"He still blames himself for awakening us at such a young age," Usagi murmured into her hand as she bit nervously on her thumb.

"If he hadn't done it, the world may not have survived the destruction of the enemy," Mamoru pointed out with a sympathetic smile.

"I know," Usagi huffed, "But he just has so much trouble forgiving himself, especially when it comes to Minako-chan."

"He knew her best and watched her sacrifice so much," Mamoru mentioned, "It's only natural that he'd feel responsible."

"I just wish I could help him," Usagi sighed, taking a seat on a stool and burying her head in her hands. It hurt her to see Artemis in so much pain and though she tried to alleviate his guilt, it never did seem to work.

She felt the tension in her body release when his arms securely fastened themselves to her waist. He nuzzled her neck fondly, placing a tingling kiss on her bare skin before inhaling a large amount of her scent.

"Just like I have you to help me through hard times," Mamoru hummed in her ear, "he has Luna who knows better than anyone just what it takes to help him through his troubles."

Usagi smiled in reprieve, blushing slightly by the way Mamoru held her. She felt so much strength and reassurance echo through her, her body never wanting to leave his embrace as she savored the warmth and comfort he provided.

"You always know what to say to make me feel better," Usagi murmured, stroking his hair affectionately with one hand as he smiled.

"It's easy when you love someone so much," he admitted in her ear.

She seemed struck by his comment, her heart fluttering in delight as her eyes sparkled with adoration. He tilted her chin up gently and closed in slowly, his dark eyes that she loved so much, baring into her own. Their lips nearly touched, ready to dance with the other until suddenly hindered by the sound of a loud thump followed by a wail of pain.

"What was that?" Usagi jumped from her seat, she and Mamoru looking pointedly at the entrance to the kitchen.

Seconds later, Luna trotted in with a smile, a nod and a bee-line to her unfinished bowl of food.

"Umm," Usagi decided to speak up hesitantly. "Is everything okay?" She questioned.

"Yup," Luna said in between bites. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Mamoru scoffed, running a hand through his ebony hair.

"Well, there was a pretty unpleasant sound just before you came back," he said. "What happened?"

"It was just a little heart to heart," Luna smiled, the couple uncertain as to whether they should pry or leave it be.

"Okaaaay," Usagi droned, catching air of the scary aura illuminating around Luna.

Both Mamoru and Usagi turned when they heard another set of legs padding towards the kitchen, their eyes twitching when they saw the bright red gash across Artemis' face who appeared to have been shivering.

"My God, Luna, what did you do?" Usagi squealed, sweeping Artemis into her arms in an instant.

"It's okay, it's okay," Artemis kept saying. "It was my fault."

Mamoru had to hold down a laugh that he was sure would upset Usagi, but somehow the picture of an abusive Luna and a low esteemed Artemis that took the blame for her violent methods was just too much.

Luna sighed in dismay, nonchalantly shrugging as she continued to eat.

"Sometimes compassion can only get you so far," she muttered. "When you've lived as long as we have, perhaps you'll understand that sometimes what people really need is a good clean hit in the head to bring them back to Earth."

"Luna, you're a monster!" Usagi exclaimed, taking Artemis from the kitchen and to the bathroom where the first aid kit neatly resided.

Mamoru sighed, following after Usagi since he was certain she would need help treating the wound. Sure enough, she was calling for his aid soon after.

As Luna remained in the kitchen on her own, she finished her bowl and sat back in content.

"Hmm," she smiled, "I'd say that was a pretty good end to a long day."

Her vision then widened, her eyes skimming to the untouched bowl besides her empty one. With a smug grin she rationalized that the kind thing to do to make up for her potentially heinous act against Artemis was to finish his bowl so he wouldn't have to look at another red star flake and be reminded of his burning guilt. Hence, this was her reasoning as she trotted to his untouched dinner.


	11. Chapter 8

He was growing anxious over the testimonials given by the survivors of the cave. Rei, who had insisted she was nothing more than an archaeologist, was alleged to have control over fire and when Wufei asked for a clearer explanation, he received an answer that could have come straight from a comic book. Not only that but it seemed Haruka, who was not fortunate to have returned, had an unnatural power too though the men found it slightly more difficult to describe just what she could do. Not that it mattered. She wasn't in their grasps and by the descriptions of what appeared in that cave, she probably wasn't even alive.

In the meantime, those cats and Hino were kept under heavy surveillance and Milliardo would use his trusted team of mind pickers to get the information they needed. Where they would begin exactly, no one was quite sure yet, but it was clear that Relena was not kidnapped by anything _human._

Uneasy was an understatement for what he was feeling. As he pulled into the driveway of his home in the woods he felt his anxieties blanket him with fear, something he hated feeling but rightfully allowed given the situation. When he was younger, if he were to stumble upon such a discovery he probably would have dived in head first to find the answers to any and all questions. But now, when his life was so different and he actually had something to lose…he wasn't so sure the risk involved was worth the effort.

It took some time for him to finally step out of his car and into his house. Part of him wanted to hold on to this case, wanted him to be as reckless as he used to be and sacrifice his safety and body for the sake of justice. And he knew that if he walked inside and saw those three people that made him change his way of thinking, his priorities and even his life then he'd abandon this mission in a heartbeat. Though it may have involved Relena who was essential to maintaining stability in politics and ultimately a facet of living that could possibly be considered peace by human standards, it still dimmed in comparison to the safety of his family.

The warmth engulfed him in heavy waves as he entered, the dim lighting casting soft shadows in the room as his eyes scanned the couch to see his twins fast asleep against Makoto who had held them close.

He kicked off his shoes, smiling faintly to himself as he loosened his tie and soundlessly made his way to his resting family. He carefully pried the word search from Makoto's slender fingers and sighed in content. Usually, when it was late and he hadn't come home yet, Makoto would force the twins to help her with a word search or read them stories to distract them from the worry they might have for his long absence. The twins were well aware of their father's profession and so they had an awful habit of assuming the worse whenever he was gone for too long. Luckily they had a mother who was rather talented at combatting even their greatest fears, something Wufei was immensely grateful for.

In an easy sweep, he managed to pick Xiang and Tenzin up from their mother's lap without stirring them awake. He walked them steadily to their room and one by one placed them in their beds. He lingered between them, gently pulling out Xiang's bows and ruffling her hair so her head wouldn't be bothered in her sleep. She sighed appreciatively and reached out instinctively for a soft plush bear that Wufei smoothly placed into her arms. She snuggled into him adoringly and he couldn't help but feel his heart melt as he pressed a small kiss against her forehead.

Tenzin was much more frigid than his sister. He slept on his back with his hands neatly clasped together over his abdomen, a breath barely even noticeable as he rested. Wufei would try to unclasp his hands but he knew there was no changing Tenzin's sleep habits as his position would just return as it was seconds after he tried to change them. With a small scoff, he pulled up Tenzin's blankets to be sure he'd be warm during the night and as he recalled Tenzin's frequent pleas not to be babied, he opted to ruffle his hair affectionately before standing to leave.

He closed the door quietly, his back resting on it in contemplation as he stood in the hallway.

Was Relena's life really worth the safety of his children? A woman who could bend fire, a cavern full of immensely large creatures and more supernatural beings were the least of his worries. If he were to make these same people his enemies and they chose to come after him, would he be able to stop them from hurting those he cared for most? Better yet, if the mission boiled down to a choice between Relena and his twins, could he choose Relena? His years as a soldier in pursuit of justice shouted that Relena was the obvious choice but his years as Wufei, a father and a husband, begged that he choose his family.

He stiffened when he heard a sigh, his onyx stare gliding across the hall to find Makoto assuming a leaning position against the wall. She smiled softly, her green eyes looking warmer by the minute.

"I know that look," she said, her head tilting against the wall as she waited for him to move.

It was true. She did know that look. It was the look of contemplation, the look of uncertainty. Wufei only ever had that expression when he was truly concerned and doubtful about whether or not his current mission was worth risking his family's safety.

The first time Makoto had seen this part of him was when the Preventers had a case where scarred soldiers of a fallen organization lured him out by leading him to believe a man by the name of Treize Kushrenada was still alive. Later Makoto had learned that Wufei was responsible for killing him and had done so in the name of vengeance and though she found it difficult to accept, it still hurt to see him so fearful when she was used to him being such a solid force.

He contemplated leaving the Preventers Corps after that occurrence purely because he believed his records were too public and it would be far too easy for potential enemies that chose to target him to find his home and all he cared for. However, Makoto had to point out the uneasy truth that despite his involvement with the Preventers, there would always be people after him simply because of the events of his past.

To run might be temporarily gratifying, but in the end, the past would always catch up to you and if not you then it would find your children. *

Quitting the Preventers and running into hiding could have ensured complete safety of his family. He was even quite certain that he and Makoto could find contentment in that type of situation. But as he thought of Xiang and Tenzin and the lessons they'd learn by living that way, he realized that he didn't want them to grow up only knowing how to hide.

Wufei sighed.

"What would you say about me taking some time off…" he started, his eyes turning to stone as she looked towards him.

He couldn't help but trace the outline of her frame with his eyes, small escaped curls framing her familiar face as jade eyes pierced his soul. Tall and slender, she was so inviting, so comforting. And as the warm auburn tone of her hair found color in his eyes, he was again troubled by the reminder that these discoveries, these people that held such menacing power could find her and hurt her if he agitated them in even the smallest way.

She moved, disrupting his spiral of thoughts and he found himself at a loss when she appeared directly in front of him. For someone who had grown up wishing for a bakery/flower shop and a fairy tale family, she always did amaze him with how agile she could be.

Hints of jasmine and vanilla filled her scent and as he inhaled the fragrance he couldn't help but feel…relieved. Naturally, his head drifted lower to touch against hers and he could feel his blood slowly begin to stave off the cold when her fingers interlaced themselves between his own.

"Trouble in paradise?" She teased only to receive a frown.

"Makoto," he almost growled. "This is serious."

"I know," she smiled, pulling his hand to her lips and placing a small kiss across his knuckles. "Your job hardly ever gives you room for anything less than serious."

She looked to him knowingly, his heart thumping heavily in his chest.

"Has Relena been found?" She questioned though she knew the answer.

He frowned, lifting his head from hers and casting his eyes to a high point on the wall.

"She's still missing."

"Hmm," he heard her hum, her feet shifting until he could no longer feel the heat of her body. He looked down curiously and saw her reassuming a position against the wall, her hand no longer intertwined with his.

"Something's happened." She stated, silently prodding for him to tell her the details, but he couldn't. It was still too hard for him to believe it was truly happening and though he had witnessed the unmistakable fear in the eyes of the survivors of that cave, he still wavered in accepting their story.

He nodded, his silence an indication that he didn't want to share exactly what he might have learnt that had managed to unnerve him. They stayed in the hall for some time, neither of them making any motions of movement or sound. After what seemed like hours, Makoto's head shifted, the movement catching Wufei's eyes as she gave him a brief smile.

"Say you do take some time off. We could go sight-seeing or something. We could even just stay home and enjoy each other's company. Goodness knows we haven't had much of an opportunity to be together for a while now…"

Wufei nodded. "It could be a good thing."

Her smile broadened. "You could help me replant the vegetable garden that was drowned out in the storm and maybe we could find a way to fix the apple tree that was blown over by the wind."

He agreed. "I could finally finish teaching the twins how to fish without a line."

Makoto laughed. "The twins would love that," she smiled. "Even I would love that," she drifted slowly. "But would you?"

His onyx gaze found it hard to settle on her jade and focused stare and reluctantly he let a sigh escape. Silence was his answer and she gulped as she cast her eyes to the floor. It was hard for him, she knew it, but truthfully she believed it'd be harder if he tried to ignore his call of duty and pretend he wasn't bothered by the fact that he quit the search and rescue mission for Relena Peacecraft, should he actually take a leave from the Preventers' Corps.

He exhaled in distraught, a sound that did not escape him often and for that reason he was incomprehensibly bothered. He tensed slightly when he felt her hand touch his arm, his body suddenly veering to instinct as he pulled her body towards his own in a tight embrace. She was surprised, taking a moment to catch up before her hands circled around him to return the embrace. Her ear was pressed firmly against his chest and she was soothed by the beating of his heart that slowly started to revert back to its usual pace.

"I don't want to lose you," he had admitted in a low whisper, a gulp coursing through her throat as she nestled herself even closer to him.

"You won't," she said, fully convinced that this was truth and she mentally urged the words to imprint themselves in his mind so that it could cease the doubt bridling in his thoughts. When his arms tightened around her, she was certain that he believed her if only just for the moment.

She reveled in the strong embrace he had around her, feeling the warmth of his body permeate her own as her fingers subconsciously traced the curves of his spine and back. An elated sigh escaped her and she remained wrapped possessively in his arms with content.

* * *

Rei rose to her feet in surprise when seeing the green-haired woman walk down the hall towards her cell.

She gulped, quickly hiding her recognition when noticing the two uniformed escorts at Setsuna's sides. Two robust men frigidly made their path to Rei's cell and she was shocked to find fear in their rugged appearances. She scoffed, feeling dejected as they avoided eye contact with her. Before this, she was a doctor with a gorgeous figure, mysterious foreign features and flawless porcelain skin. Now, she was a monster with bewitching eyes and the fires of hell at her side.

"Thank you," Setsuna said at arrival. "I can take it from here boys."

Setsuna was as tall as ever, her haunting ruby eyes drilling straight into Rei who had subconsciously averted her vision to watch the backs of the guards that eventually disappeared behind a door. She exhaled in hesitation, never quite sure what would come to pass when it involved the all-knowing senshi of Pluto.

"How did you manage to get yourself in?" Rei questioned, her eyes now back to ruby.

Setsuna shrugged.

"I did some work as a psychologist for the Peacecrafts a few years back," she explained. "I helped talk through certain issues soldiers had about adjusting to civilian life. I also headed the reconstruction of the Preventers' security system along with the colonies. Of course, I never suspected Luna and Artemis would crack them in the future. If I had then perhaps I would've used another code that didn't stem from the Silver Millenium. Nevertheless, along the way I gained the Peacecrafts' trust and have become their…confidant, in a way."

Rei scoffed. "How convenient."

Unenthused, Setsuna nodded. "I make it my job to place myself in beneficial positions."

"Mind explaining why you couldn't have come sooner?" Rei bitterly questioned. "Haruka-" she paused, momentarily speechless as she felt her gut wrench in distraught. "Haruka and I," she managed to reconvene hoarsely. "Really could've used your help."

Setsuna's stone expression seemed to change, her ruby eyes showing the first sign of humanity as she looked away.

"I don't expect you to understand," she replied. "But my timing was no mistake."

Rei's teeth were grit. "You mean to tell me you planned to come _after_ Haruka was dead?"

It wasn't confirmed but from knowing the condition Haruka was in and the fact that the carnivores in that cave were swift opponents, she couldn't imagine her friend had survived.

Setsuna's face hardened, her tone cindering to a dangerous level.

"Haruka's situation stems from a choice of actions decided by the two of you. Don't be so hasty to blame others when the fault is with yourselves."

Her words cut, as she intended them to. And by the stern expression along with the eerie ripples of power floating around her, it was made clear to Rei that arguing was pointless. Setsuna was here with a message and no matter how justified Rei may have felt, she knew it'd gain back nothing. Haruka was amiss and they still needed to deal with the repercussions.

"Tell me why you're here," Rei said, abandoning her anger and grudgingly listening in to what would be told.

Setsuna was quiet until a sigh escaped and she braced herself for another rebuttal.

"I need you to remain captive to the Preventers."

"What?" Rei snapped, eyes ablaze.

She took a deep breath before she let herself get heated, placing her hands on her hips before she seated herself. She scoffed. Who was she kidding? She wasn't even thinking of escaping to begin with but somehow she was still irked by Setsuna's words. Perhaps it was the need or maybe it was the fact that Setsuna had said it as though she suspected Rei's first plan of action was to run. Either way, Rei was agitated, and she didn't feel like arguing when she knew the result would always be in Setsuna's favor.

"Hn," Rei sounded. "I don't know why I expected you to somehow get me out of this mess." She said, rubbing her head in discontent.

The green-haired woman frowned, looking sternly into the cell.

"If I tried to save you from this, they would only be able to find more of us. This is how we keep our discovery to a minimum. So far they have no idea how many people are like us and that can be used as an advantage."

With a frown Rei nodded. "So then what do I do now? Just let them jerk me around with a ball and chain and play teacher's pet until you find a better plan?"

"Look," Setsuna asserted, ignoring Rei's rising irritation. "The others have yet to realize our situation. I would contact them but some are not easily reached without us risking complete exposure. So in order to keep these people safe, you have to stay in prison."

Rei scoffed, sitting back and criticizing the irony of it all. Protect your captors, let the humans hate you and at the same pretend you once hated them as if you didn't spend your youth protecting them from harm. She laughed sadistically. Since when did she start referring to them as "humans" like she wasn't one herself?

"This is a compromising situation, one that spans out to a much larger scope than you're aware of. Revealing ourselves entirely to the world isn't quite ideal. There are still some…details that would only worsen our involvement. We have to let them think you were once an ally to Elysion who has rebelled that way they can feel they have some sway in the situation. Elios will not harm Relena but his intentions for Usagi are still unknown. But with you here, the others are still free to roam. I need you to keep up to date with the Preventers' progress and make sure we're not discovered."

Rei sighed, now leaning against the dingey wall as she haphazardly looked back to Setsuna.

"They sent someone out to research the connection between me and Haruka a few weeks ago," she informed. "I'm almost certain he'll come up with something."

"You don't need to worry about that," Setsuna replied curtly. "Ami is taking care of it."

"So all this time you've been plotting," Rei said, unsurprised.

"I suspected something like this might happen," Setsuna affirmed. "But things are still unclear. I just need to know you won't try to escape and that you'll help them despite the trouble they are likely to put you through."

Rei frowned, her brow creasing as she contemplated the request. She doubted the Preventers were above torture and though a picture of the charmingly sweet Quatre R. Winner crossed her mind, she was certain he'd make no difference in what means they'd input to get information from her. She saw nothing but torment ahead of her and even though she knew she didn't deserve it, she still nodded towards Setsuna to indicate that she would go along with the plan.

"Good," was the only response the raven haired woman got for selling her soul in the name of duty. She felt foolish for believing she could have escaped a life where decisions were not her own to make and for the first time in years she was reminded of why she hated being a part of the senshi.

"Before you leave," Rei queried in the last moment, "Is Minako-chan aware of the situation?"

Setsuna frowned pensively, a sigh escaping her lips. Rei did not like the sound of that.

"What's wrong?" She asked with concern, her body immediately tense with apprehension.

"Minako is currently undetectable."

Rei's voice caught in her throat, her eyes wide with worry at the revelation.

"I have to go."

Rei stood as if to stop her but when the pair of soldiers that had escorted Setsuna returned, she bit her tongue and helplessly watched as they left.

Just what exactly was going on? Setsuna's explanation that there was more to the story than meets the eye made her queasy. She recounted what Haruka had told her moments before they split. The outers had suspected Earth would be one they'd have to fight if they ever found themselves in a war.

When she tried to think back to that time, she could remember nothing outside of the Moon and the secret meetings between two star-crossed lovers that she had sworn to keep quiet about. But outside of that, outside of the blind friendliness of teenage royals who thought they could overcome world order with secrecy, what else was going on? She wanted to know but it seemed the answers would not come without patience.

* * *

It was, all together, a strange surprise. Duo suspected he might have to shadow Dr. Mizuno in secret to discover what she was trying to hide but he never thought the blue-haired woman would actually contact him and ask for a meeting. She disclosed that there was some _complicated_ information she had known about Rei Hino and that for her own safety she had withheld the truth for fear that the raven-haired, seemingly normal archaeologist might harm her or her students.

Duo had found it easy to believe her given the latest update he received from Quatre and as he listened to her startled voice over the line, he felt a wave of incredulity hit him that he could actually suspect someone with her track record to be involved in such a well hidden secret.

While it was true that they still had no clue what Rei _was_ or even if she had always been the Rei Hino that grew up in the Hikawa shrine with an aging grandfather and not some demon that had possessed a once innocent girl, Duo couldn't in his right mind connect her fiery capacity to the astute doctor that had given up her dream as a medical physician to teach high school because she was appalled by the steep decline in educational value.

So, though he was slightly suspicious, and his mind screamed that perhaps things fit together a bit too easily when Ami explained what she could over the phone, he sat patiently waiting at the round table of a semi-fancy restaurant. He groaned, running a hand through his chestnut hair and staring impatiently at his watch.

In an offhanded realization that he looked like an expectant date that was getting stood up, he laughed, his indigo eyes shining amusedly as he took a sip of the water sitting on the table. She better not stand him up, he thought with a smirk, otherwise she'd have another thing coming…

He suddenly jolted up from his seat, spotting a hesitantly approaching blunette whose halter top dress had expertly displayed her pure, naïve and innocent involvement with a woman who had fooled the world into believing she was an ordinary citizen.

Cream shoulders smoothly glistened from beneath the straps that were tied into a neat bow behind her neck, the chiffon, sky blue fabric ruffling sweetly along the skirt that stopped just above her knee. Her small waist was nicely accented by a thin silvery belt with an emblem in the shape of a swirl of water at the center, attracting his eyes to her small but supple chest. Slender fingers clutched nervously to a silver wallet, her eyes matching the stress in her grip, making him immediately sympathetic as he pulled out a seat for her to take.

"I'm sorry I'm late," she murmured in a weak tone. "I was…preoccupied."

He smiled genuinely, giving a nonchalant shrug before his response. "Don't worry about it," he said. "I'm just glad you made it."

She nodded, her legs crossing discretely beneath the table as she tried to rub away the clamminess in her hands along the smooth fabric of her dress. Silver heels tapped uncontained against the carpeted floor, her expression calm despite the tension in her eyes. He could see she was nervous and in an attempt to ease her trouble, he offered her a drink.

"I know it's only water," he said with a sheepish grin, "but it's more soothing than it looks. But if you find you need something stronger, this place has a pretty large list of alcoholic beverages..."

"It's fine," Ami stated plaintively with a meek smile. "I would actually prefer if we could just get this over with?"

"Of course," he grinned enthusiastically, relieved that he wouldn't have to coax her to tell him what he hungered to know. "Where should we start?"

Ami's eyes shifted uncomfortably around them, her gaze casting itself to the table settings in deliberation.

"I-" she hesitated, looking up with a gulp as her skin paled. Duo frowned, getting the silent notion that perhaps this place was too public for her to comfortably tell what she had known. Over the phone he was able to explain that Rei was no longer a threat as she was detained in the Preventer's Corp's most secure prison. It hadn't convinced her at first, but eventually he was able to satisfy her apprehension with consistent reaffirmations of the measures taken to secure Ms. Hino behind bars. So as not to further discourage her from sharing, he hastily attempted to relocate.

"If you'd like," he said, sounding so much like the gentleman and less like his usual self. "We could take this elsewhere…"

"That would be great," Ami replied, not hesitating for a moment.

He nodded, calling the waiter over and requesting a check. They left without trouble, Ami opting to ride in Duo's car when he had discovered she had used the train to get around. In the car, she was even quieter, adding more to Duo's inexplicable sense of distrust which he unwisely pushed aside.

"Is your place fine?" He asked as he turned onto the main street.

She shook her head.

"The walls are thin there," she said. "Do you think we could find someplace else to talk?"

"Sure," he agreed, turning in the direction of the hotel he had been inhabiting. He cranked on the heater soon after, frowning at the steady gust of cold air drifting inside the car. The temperature dial on the dashboard read that it was no colder than 70 degrees Fahrenheit outside but he assumed it must've been broken due to the chills he was receiving in the car.

From a glance, he could see her stern expression, his mind curious as he drove.

"So," he started somewhat impatiently. "How did you meet Rei Hino?"

Ami looked to him briefly before answering, her hands calmly placed in her lap as she explained. "I first met Rei at the Hikawa Shrine when I was fourteen years old. They were selling charms and I thought it might be a good idea to buy one for an upcoming exam that I was particularly nervous about."

"Mmhmm," he hummed, listening intently as he signaled to turn left. "Did you notice anything strange about her then?"

He noticed her frown, a look of guilt flashing through her critical gaze as she sighed.

"There were rumors," she admitted.

"Like?" Duo prodded, urging her to say more.

"Some believed Rei was psychic. Others thought that she might've been a witch. There were many people that spoke out of jealousy and some out of fear. She was a beautiful girl with horrible social skills, and they staked her for it."

"Hmm," he frowned, not completely eased by the tone of sympathy in her voice. For someone that had feared Rei, Ami almost sounded as though she were on the raven-haired woman's side. He parked, turning the key in the ignition to stop the engine. They both sat quietly for a moment before Duo pushed himself out and beckoned she do the same.

"This is where you're staying?" She inquired and nodded, thinking nothing of it. "Alone?"

He stopped in mid-step, feeling that creeping suspicion tackle him in a wave of discomfort. Unfortunately, the view he received did not help in confirming that his paranoia was justifiable. In her same airy dress, she seemed so sweet, so harmless even behind those attentive blue eyes that seemed to be calculating something important she appeared absolutely common.

"Yes," he answered, pushing the door to his room open and welcoming her inside. From habit he loosened his tie, flipped the switch and let the door swing itself shut. "Just make yourself comfortable," he said with an unhindered yawn. "And sorry about the—"

He fell to the floor like a ragdoll, a hand reaching to his throbbing temple before his eyes hazily drifted to the blunette standing above him. He couldn't help but scoff, noting how she looked as though she might start crying.

"I'm terribly sorry," she apologized as her hands visibly trembled in regret, the room around him darkening in his vision until it was pitch black.

He knew this was too easy.

* * *

Thank you for reading! And even more thanks to those that took the time to review! It is truly much appreciated! I hope this chapter didn't seem too rushed. Reading over it I kind of get the impression that it might be but that's just me. So be sure to let me know if there are any noticeable faults about this chapter and I'll do my best to fix it (i.e.: so and so was out of character, you misspelled this word, etc.). Many thanks to you all!

P.S. I moved this story to this section since I did a bit of redrafting. All fics centered around a particular character (which is basically Jupiter in my case lol) are in the other crossover section since it then makes it easier to be found should someone start a search for a story centered on a single character. Stories including everyone are over here. So yup, that's my logic, thank yous!

Nerf-or-Nothing: I'm so glad you like this one ^^ I started it in the other section because I have a horrible habit of starting new stories without finishing others so it was kind of my attempt to hide it away lol. Anyhow, hope this chapter was decent. I also appreciate that you would comment even amidst fatigue! You're the best! ^^ And an inspiration as I am sure you might get tired of hearing but gah I can't stop saying it lol. Anyhow, I can't wait to read more of your updates and hope to see them soon! And of course thank you so much for your review!

TopazDragon: Aww shucks! I'm so glad you enjoy this story and I am so incredibly grateful for your lovely and long reviews! Those are always so awesome to receive! There are certainly more pairings involved in this story but some will appear sooner than others as you can see ^^ Ami/Duo is another infatuation of mine. Though I love her with Wufei, I still can't get enough of her with Duo. Quatre and Trowa are sometimes decent but they do tend to be a bit boring together. I adore contrast and well it can't get any better than Duo/Ami and Wufei/Ami ya know? XD This chapter didn't have much to show about how much Ami and Duo contrast to each other, or at least I don't think so, but I look forward to exploring that later on. As for Artemis and Luna, yeah, I figured those two would have a lot of guilt to deal with when they're left to themselves. I too look forward to Artemis and Minako having a heart-to-heart and I've been going back and forth about how Minako's scenes that have passed so far will be rationalized. I guess that's the problem with me. I've got too many different scenarios that can play out but I'm too indecisive to just pick one and go with it XD Anyhow, thank you so much for your awesome review! It really did brighten my day plus it gave me a huge burst of inspiration to keep going ^^ I also hope to see more writing from you! One-shot or new chapter for More to the Story, either one will be awesome!

sunshinebythemoonlight: Thank you so much for your review! I'm so glad you enjoy Artemis' character development and moreso the plot and storyline. I am oober excited about where this is going and hope that others will be just as enthused! Hence, it is encouraging to know that you have enjoyed it thus far! Again, thank you so much for reviewing and for taking time to read this!

Kagayaku: Thank you so much for your review! I'm relieved to hear that this is getting better as it goes along. It is always my fear that I may be digressing for various reasons but I doubt you want to hear about that ^^; I hope this chapter was enjoyable and I truly appreciate your kind words as well as the time you have taken to read and review! Also, I hope Makoto's part in this was okay. Lol I suck at writing compassion and all that warm fuzzy stuff so I kind of tend to cringe when I attempt to write it. Hopefully it wasn't too bad...XD

Once more, thank you all for reading! Any gripes, comments, concerns or questions are easily submitted via the review link ;) Sincerely,

JPandS


	12. Chapter 9

Duo groaned, his head feeling as though a ton of bricks had been tied to it as it wobbled from side to side in pain. He could hear voices, or rather, a single voice but it echoed viciously through his skull that it felt as though he were centered in a room packed with socialites.

He could hardly remember what he was doing before he had fallen into this strange slumber but when blue hair shot through his vision, he was immediately reminded of the surprise blow to his head from the seemingly harmless teacher who wasn't so harmless after all. He grunted, the sound alerting her immediately as those calculating blue eyes shot straight to him.

She didn't look so innocent now and he wondered how he could have overlooked that wise gaze that meticulously planned future moves by the second. Careful and fluid like the steady stream of water in a quiet lake, she moved across the room to stop at the corner where he had now seen the door. It was a deep midnight violet with a circular peephole centered towards the top. Smooth paint remained unstained and perfect, a reflection of the condition of the room he currently inhabited. There was absolutely no mistaking that this had been her home.

"Amateur," he muttered under his breath, dropping his head down and releasing a frustrated sigh.

He was now suddenly pained by the realization that Wufei's jab at his instincts not being as sharp as they used to be might actually have some merit. To think that he had been kidnapped by a petite woman who had blubbered an apology and dragged him to her own home for capture did more than bruise his ego, it might possibly throw him into a deep depression.

Still, no matter how injured his ego had become, it could do nothing to stop the onslaught of questions that arose from the moment he realized that Ami Mizuno wasn't quite what she appeared to be.

"Is she some kind of experiment?"

It was the first question to escape his parched lips and his mind reeled with scenarios as he anticipated a response.

"I'm sorry?" Ami had replied sounding genuinely confused. For some reason, this had angered Duo enough for him to muster a glare that bore into her pale skin.

"Rei Hino," he snapped. "Is she a product of your doing or did you find her with hellish powers beforehand?"

Ami scoffed, frowning through her slight hurt that such an accusation could be made. To be quite honest she hadn't known if she was bothered by the way that he spoke of Rei as if she wasn't human or if she had been offended that he'd assume she'd use her intellect for some mad scientist vendetta. Either way, her skin crawled with irritation as a pensive frown pushed her lips southbound and as a natural habit, her arms had folded over her chest.

"It seems I've overestimated your investigative skill," she remarked rather coldly. All prior regret had fled from her as she was immediately reminded that sympathy towards a kidnapped soldier would do nothing in her favor. Kidnapping him may not have been a plan that she fully supported but she had gone through with it anyways and there was no turning back. "You don't know nearly as much as I had originally thought."

Duo's unforgiving gaze studied her firm expression and he grew to believe her words were truth, as she frigidly remained posted by the door. If his question was a complete miss, then what detail had he overlooked that could piece this mystery together?

"Mind filling me in," he dully replied, again perturbed by the idea that he had severely underestimated her involvement in this entire operation.

She frowned, scoffing slightly and unconsciously brushing strands of hair from her eyes.

"This is not a briefing," she blandly stated. "And I am not your informant."

It was silent afterwards.

Duo's indigo gaze burned cinders into Ami's skin as her ice blue stare chilled his bones. It was certainly perplexing how he could have missed this calloused side of the doctor, which merited little leeway and plenty of arduously thought out strategy.

He would think to yell and scream to alert the neighbors but he reasoned that Ami would have gagged him if she thought it were necessary. Besides, she had been living here for years. There was no telling what type of rapport she had with her neighbors. Sweet, intelligent, and petite Ami could never be guilty of such a heinous crime like kidnapping. It was simply impossible!

Oh how he would love to see her ignorant neighbors' reactions to this incriminating scene…

They both seemed startled by the high-pitched ring of the telephone and Ami slightly hesitated before walking to intercept the call.

"Hello," she steadily answered, her eye trained towards Duo's tied up position.

He took notice of the blue jean shorts she wore with a loosely fitted v-neck shirt that matched the pristine white color of her ankle socks. For someone so ordinary looking, she sure had a large closet of secrets, the first being the kidnapped man in her living room. The others, well, he couldn't imagine what those could be quite yet.

"I'm terribly sorry," she said, running a hand through her short blue mane in slight distress. "But I'm afraid I won't be able to return to work for some time. My father isn't as well as I had hoped so my hands are a bit tied up."

Duo snorted. "You mean my hands are tied," he growled. "Why don't you tell them the truth, babe? I'm sure they'll give you vacation leave to tend to your prisoner."

Her eyes narrowed and the temperature dropped, disturbing Duo enough to make him shiver. In a brief second he could've sworn he saw her eyes gloss over with ice before returning to their same shade of blue but he shook it away in disbelief. Then again, weeks earlier he was introduced to speaking cats and Rei turned out to be a fire-breather while Haruka had a special trick of her own. So who was to say that Ami wasn't somehow involved in all this?

"Its some sort of mental disorder affecting the frontal lobe," she explained through the phone, "so his temperament has been quite unpredictable."

"Shit," Duo cursed, his head lowering in frustration. He could hear the woman on the other end sending her condolences to the undeserving doctor with a father who was supposedly ill. No matter what he decided to say, Ami would explain it away without falter and the receiver of her lies would accept her words without hesitation.

"Thank you, Namade-san. I do appreciate your concern," she spoke sweetly but her lips were frowning, eyes still glued to Duo.

"You've thought this out for a while, haven't you?" He whispered to himself, taking a deep breath and forcing himself to calm down. With a kidnapper of her character, getting riled up would not get him free. He had to play her game and try to outthink her.

…

The world-renowned charity ball was fast approaching. What grew to be a monumental event for some, who had marked the day excitedly in red on their calendars, was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode for the Preventers.

High profile celebrities, senators, wealthy businessmen and women were just a few classes that were expected to attend, Quatre R. Winner being among them. Even musicians and artists such as Vincent M. Fernad, Andréa Bocelli and the ever-elegant Michiru Kaiou were on the guest list, which had earned even more attention to the already star-studded cast.

However, neither Bocelli's angelic tenor nor Kaiou's heartbreaking violin melodies could surpass the buzz flittering around about the expected arrival of one Relena Dorlian Peacecraft. If it wasn't merely her name that had won rapid media coverage, then it was her announcement months prior that she would be auctioning off the most coveted diamond of the new age: The Diamond of Hope.

Its chiseled hexadecimal shape was fascinating to the eye and it had a substantial fan base just waiting to take it. A jewel no larger than three inches in diameter had been responsible for achieving the highest R.S.V.P.'s to the annual ball since its first creation. Collectors were lined up and ready to throw money at the Peacecraft family heirloom that could only be given away by Relena herself. Hence, her absence would breed nothing less than a riot upon the Sanq kingdom grounds, which harbored the Preventer's primary dilemma.

Relena was still amiss.

Frantically, the Preventers raced against time, Milliardo anxiously trying to devise a way to keep people unaware of the truth. The diamond was well in his reach, but his eligibility to give away such a precious stone was forfeit when he had signed away his claim to the Peacecraft fortune left behind by his parents.

Quickly it seemed that he was beginning to regret his noble gesture that resulted from a wish he had for his sister to be taken care of and supported through her efforts since he had grown to trust her judgment more than he had sometimes trusted his own.

The one thing he had done, was dress for the occasion. Noin attempted to ease some of his nerves with words of encouragement but her shaking hands as she folded his tie were hard to excuse. As it stood, he would be attending the ball spreading the small rumor that Ms. Peacecraft was feeling ill in the morning and mentioning that she may not be in attendance. Meanwhile, the Preventer's Corps would be scurrying across the background trying to find a plan to keep the truth of Relena's disappearance hidden.

Milliardo had left the primary preparations behind the scenes to Wufei and Heero while Quatre and Trowa attended the high profile ball. Trowa would be a guard and Quatre would be working undercover while keeping up his public appearances.

Even Setsuna Meiou had been included in this ploy, her expertise with security systems and analyzing body language and the like were precious tools to Milliardo, as he grudgingly allowed Setsuna's high school intern to come along.

How Milliardo would avoid the unfolding of his lies about his sister was a heart-trembling question. Nevertheless, he would persist as though nothing had happened and that his sister was in deed sick like he said.

"Oh dear, is it the flu?" asked an elderly woman with a concerned frown.

Milliardo shrugged. "I can't be sure. The doctor, however, was there all morning evaluating her. I would have asked for her diagnosis except I was busy with _other_ tasks."

"Oh my," she replied, shaking her head from side to side. "I do hope she has sense enough to stay in bed if she is too ill to attend. Her health is certainly more important than that silly diamond!"

Milliardo smiled appreciatively. "I share the same feeling," he said with a nod and she was off, socializing with the next person who fit her fancy.

It seemed the small rumor was met with mixed feelings. Those in attendance knew they should be worried for Relena's health, some actually genuine in their concern, but many were noticeably fretful over the idea that because of her health issues, the auction of the coveted Diamond of Hope might be postponed. He sighed, nodding towards those that passed and unconsciously searched for a corner of the gathering that harbored the least amount of attention.

Quatre R. Winner could be seen towards the center of the room. His pristine and sleek tuxedo only amplified the angelic hue of his soft blonde mane that handsomely accented his sea blue gaze. His charm was sweet, the smooth skin of his face inviting as the smile alighting his features remained taut and unwavering. The solid build of his shoulders were easily kept unnoticed amidst his calm demeanor, and even the tense muscles beneath his expensive attire were unseen as he expertly kept conversation amongst the crowd.

From the corner of his eye he could see Trowa milling around unnoticed through groups of guests that somehow never seemed to notice his tall frame unless he merited it be so. He disappeared in moments behind a wall and Quatre suddenly found his periphery skimming to the exotic Setsuna Meiou whom he had little knowledge of.

Supposedly, she had done many spectacular things in the past that had won Milliardo's favor, else he doubted the platinum blonde would have worked so hard to get her name on the guest list. Which reminded him…

"Hotaru Tomoe is a promising young botanist," Quatre introduced, cordially directing his peers' attention to the young violet haired girl beside him.

"She has been awarded the Winner's Future Leaders scholarship which includes an internship. This is the first time I've had the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with students so she's had to suffer through my inexperience with this sort of arrangement."

It wasn't his best explanation but it sufficed and he knew it as soon as the woman happily shook hands with Hotaru.

"How darling," she exclaimed in regards to Hotaru whose cheeks had reddened slightly.

Quatre chuckled in amusement, nodding in agreement. The young violet-haired woman rose to a meager 5 feet 4 inches but her slender features made her look taller than she truly was. Her hair neatly fell in a straight line above her shoulders, light lavender eyes standing out like crystals against the dark pallet of her bangs. She donned a lilac knee-length dress that accentuated her fragile stature. Hence, it was no wonder why Quatre had felt somewhat responsible for keeping her safe amongst the crowd of high-society members with large egos.

She didn't really need his help though. Even without his accompaniment he was certain she'd be able to fare quite well in this setting, which was shown in the way she interacted with a dazzling elegance he hadn't expected to find.

"Is she nothing more than just a promising intern?" Lady Elizabeth of the southern hemisphere had asked with a devious nudge to Quatre's ribcage.

He grabbed his side in surprise and gave half a smile, nearly ready to make a proper response.

"Well, from what I gather, Miss Tomoe is only about 16 years old," spoke an authoritative and pristine voice, sweeping in like a giant wave that threatened to wipe out all in its path if unwisely approached. "Meaning Mr. Winner would be accused of fraternizing with a minor, if this relationship were anything more than he has stated and I doubt that he would douse in such a heinous thing especially given his remarkable reputation, wouldn't you agree?"

"Michiru-sama," Hotaru muttered beneath her breath, hiding her astonishment quickly as she glanced towards Quatre who was now frowning.

Lady Elizabeth was baffled.

"Oh, of course not," she replied, fanning herself profusely as the tension rose amongst them. "My apologies, Mr. Winner, I never meant to accuse you of such a crime."

"There's no need for apologies," Quatre assured with a smile. "It was an honest mistake."

"Of course," Michiru agreed with a sparkling smile. "But it is a mistake that could tarnish an entire family's reputation. Such deeds should be avoided at all costs. But that's only my own personal philosophy, others may believe otherwise…"

Hotaru frowned, noticing the unmistakable sting of Michiru's words. Something wasn't right but Hotaru didn't have to think long to know what was bothering the aquamarine-haired musician.

"You are perfectly right," Lady Elizabeth blubbered afterwards. Discomfort permeated her entire body and as soon as she was granted time to speak she immediately shot to escape.

"Now, it was such a delight to be able to meet with you all. If you'd excuse me, I do believe I see my husband calling me over to meet his associates. Have a splendid evening!"

"And the same to you, Lady Elizabeth," Quatre replied.

Michiru respectfully bowed as a farewell, Hotaru doing the same. As she walked off, the three were left to their own accord.

"Kaiou-san," Quatre started with an apprehensive nod. "I am a big fan of your music. Will you be playing this evening?" He spoke so fluently, acting as though there were no disturbance among them.

"I don't believe so," she said plainly. "But the night is still young and the future is certainly malleable. There is no telling what could possibly happen before the end of the evening, now is there, Hotaru?"

The young teen stiffened, feeling the pressure of the situation rising around her. A glance towards Quatre, however, had shocked her, his eyes concerned as he watched her carefully. Had he felt the pressure too?

"Not that I am aware of," Hotaru responded.

"You two know each other?" Quatre curiously asked.

"Yes, through Setsuna," Michiru answered in a single breath, placing a gentle hand upon Hotaru's shoulder that made the younger girl uncomfortable. "Speaking of which, have you seen her here at all? I was hoping to catch up with my dear old friend but I haven't had the fortune of finding her quite yet…"

Hotaru gulped, now fully aware of the bitterness in Michiru's voice.

"I do believe I last saw her by the auction house," Quatre cut in curtly, having half a mind to inconspicuously sweep Michiru's red-knuckled hand from Hotaru's pale shoulder. Somehow he had managed to refrain himself.

"Is that so?" Michiru replied, glancing to her younger peer and back to the cordial President of the Winner foundation.

"Yes," Hotaru affirmed. "She was meandering around a few items that had caught her eye…"

Michiru scoffed, removing her chilling hand from the girl and slightly smirking.

"I'm willing to bargain that an ancient relic has managed to captivate her attention. Those prehistoric artifacts have always fascinated her…"

Hotaru smiled wryly as if to agree and Quatre was again the perfect conversationalist, making the situation seem casual and lax though Hotaru had known they were standing on pins and needles.

"Mr. Winner, it was a pleasure. Do make sure to take care of Miss Tomoe, but not too much care…" she insinuated with a slightly amused smirk.

Hotaru was unenthused by Michiru's wry behavior. Then again, Hotaru couldn't entirely put her at fault given the truth that was looming just above their heads concerning Haruka…

"Have a wonderful evening," Quatre bowed, his hand gently touching Hotaru's surprised shoulder. She gave a small jump, but smothered it with a discrete nod.

Michiru was gliding through the crowd before Hotaru had even had the opportunity to say goodbye, but she doubted that mattered. The senshi hardly ever had eternal farewells. Reuniting was as inevitable as the sun rising and setting each day. Her sharp violet orbs trailed after the aquamarine tresses swaying behind cream shoulders until they disappeared behind a wall.

…

Rei's lungs felt as though they were constricting with every breath she took, her body shaking dangerously as if threatening to go mute at any given moment. Her hands trembled with rage but by then the numbing sensation of pain had won over while her eyes struggled to stay focused. For hours it seemed she had been hunched over on the damp concrete flooring of her cell, just staring at the back of her hands as they lay plastered against the ground.

Dirt settled in the crevices of her fingernails, blood leaving jagged trails along her once clean palms until they climbed up her wrists to lead to the trickling paths that stemmed from various new wounds. Fire burned relentlessly within her soul but somehow she still had a reserve of patience pooling even deeper than she had expected.

"Being stubborn won't benefit you now."

Those words made her scoff, even amongst the mind-numbing pain and her feelings of injustice. Amused, she lifted her gaze, grinning slightly as she stared into his dull blue eyes.

"In truth," she laughed, teetering on the verge of restraint and the complete release of inhibition, "it should be me saying that to you."

He didn't seem too amused about her statement; rather, he remained monotonous with a blank stare and nerves of steel. She had seen firsthand why so many soldiers around the precinct had walked in fear around him and quite frankly she couldn't blame them.

Though he hadn't harnessed a natural control of some magnificent element like she had, he was still plenty intimidating. She only wondered how long he had gone with his limitless skill and soul of black.

He scoffed, his shoes clicking against the hard floor until the exit slid open for his departure. As soon as the metal doors had shut, Rei felt herself exhale in relief, the weight of her body dropping as she nearly let herself collapse onto the floor.

She knew they were probably watching her through the camera feeds but she at least took pride in the fact that she hadn't completely faltered directly in front of their eyes. She winced slightly as she slowly eased herself onto the concrete flooring, her breath staggered and far different than its normal pattern.

It had been quiet at the Preventer's headquarters but she assumed it was due to the big ball at the Sanq kingdom. Meanwhile, Heero and who she sensed was Wufei were left to try and squeeze answers from her.

She gave them what she could, telling them that she was a rebel and had defied her master's orders in favor of the humans. She explained that she was trying to retrieve Relena herself with Haruka's aid but was unsuccessful.

She cringed. It still pained her to think what might have come of her sandy blonde friend. She tried so hard to be optimistic , to believe that Haruka had survived but when recalling the condition that she was left in and the ferocity of the carnivores, she knew it was foolish to be so naïve. Haruka was a great soldier, but even she had her limits.

Angrily, Rei sent a fist flat into the ground, heaving with labored breath as she felt the sting of tears in her eyes. She should've never left Haruka in that cave alone.

Staying behind to trifle with the carnivores seemed much less deflating than remaining captive to the Preventers who had dismissed her supposed betrayal and treated her as enemy number one. She could see the fear in their eyes, that tormenting mistrust festering into a solid resolve not to listen to her. They had no intent to reform her or to make her an ally or friend. No. What they wanted was information and as soon as they had exhausted all that was possible from her, she was certain they intended to kill her if possible.

With a deflated sigh, she lay herself flat on her back, no longer concerned with soiling her clothes with the blood she had shed. Her raven hair was matted together as it spread across the ground. There was a force piercing through the walls, a power that she found to be familiar but not of her own origin. A stern expression crossed her tired features, as her body started to resonate with heat.

Something was coming.

…

Setsuna was as elusive to Michiru as fire is to water. The cool droplets would try to meet with the burning flames but in the end they always just washed away the fire. Michiru imagined that this particular trait of her time-conscious friend was one that was likely to never fade.

With idle eyes, Michiru skimmed the various items up for auction spanning from the infamous pen used to sign the treaty between the colonies and Earth to the largely discussed Diamond of Hope.

A crowd had gathered around the diamond the entire evening save for this single moment where Michiru had found herself in solitude, unconsciously studying its curves and luster with her sea-brazen eyes.

It was a gorgeous jewel she had to admit. The way the light was reflected off its surface was reminiscent of the many shooting stars she had witnessed in the evening sky. Hence, it wasn't too difficult for her to imagine why so many had wanted it for themselves.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Her ears were perked by the velvety tone that melted over her skin in a striking manner. With a slight frown, she nodded, lifting the flute of wine to her lips for a sip.

"It is," she simply stated, her eyes still trained on the diamond.

It sparkled in that moment, almost as though it was taunting her like the presence of this sly stranger.

"The Diamond of Hope," he chided in wonderment. "They say it has the potential to bend men to its will just by its beauty," he said.

"Really," Michiru nonchalantly replied.

"Yes," he confirmed with a smirk, taking a step forward to place himself a mere step in front of her so she could see him in a better light.

The ethereal glow of his silvery white mane made her blood turn to ice, her grip tightening over her glass as she struggled to keep herself civil. Of course, his snide grin that shined even brighter than the diamond wasn't helping much.

"But I think you'd agree that the magnificence of this gem pales in comparison to a crystal with the _actual_ power to conquer nations and bend men to its will through a much greater force…"

She scoffed, feeling her veins turn cold as an angered frown tugged at her lips. She was still beautiful, even with the venom prevalent in her eyes.

"Elios," Michiru acknowledged coldly. "I had never thought you to be a creature with a spine. You're quite brave to show your face in such a public place."

He chuckled, the deep baritone of his voice drifting across the stale air.

"Dear Princess of Neptune, you're still as lethal as the sea," he commented with a sip of his wine. "I'd expect nothing less from the daughter of Poseidon."

"Since you know me so well," Michiru softly spoke, "then you know I won't let you escape my sights."

He gave a genial smile, brazenly looking her in the eye as he wagged his forefinger in front of her ire-filled glare.

"Tsk, tsk," he teased. "I know you're angry, princess, but I doubt you'd sacrifice the life of your future queen for something so personal like revenge…"

Michiru's jaw clenched, her stalled movement an indication that she was tamed by that statement alone. He had to laugh at the fact that the senshi could be halted so easily, their queen's life always the most important priority that trumped their own personal goals.

To be bound by duty was a marvelous thing, a concept that he had always found to be so fascinating…

"What do you want?" Michiru icily questioned, averting her gaze anywhere else but at his expressions of delight. Restraint was not an easy task for her and she struggled with holding back especially when she was so close to the key source of this sudden disturbance.

"To talk," he answered with a relaxed shrug.

Her eyes flashed to him quickly before she frowned.

"A ransom," she assumed.

"No," he hastily shot down with an amused grin. "That would insinuate that you senshi have something that I want. But you wish it were that easy, don't you?"

Her steady blue gaze was uncouth as it bore cinders into the Diamond of Hope, a beautiful gem but worthless in the scheme of things. She did wish he was simple, that he wanted something in exchange for their princess but she knew it wouldn't be so. He was scheming, and she'd imagined he had planned this for centuries.

She ignored his question, now growing impatient by this encounter.

"Well then do you plan to get to the point or is your goal to bore me to death."

"To death," he said in amusement. "I never knew boredom was such a severe weakness—"

Michiru hissed, water swirling in her glass as she cut him off.

"Your knowledge of the Princess' whereabouts may give you an advantage," Michiru dangerously spoke, the waves of oceans flashing in her eyes. "But you know that even _my_ patience has its limits."

He smirked, taking her words into consideration and wisely choosing to get to the point.

"I've come to warn you."

She was in disbelief and it was displayed clearly through her features.

"Warn us of what?"

His expression grew dark, a feeling rage and disgust sweeping in amongst them. He scoffed.

"You see," he steadily remarked, "that's the problem with you senshi. You're so arrogant that you don't think anyone from Earth could rival your strength."

Michiru could see his grip tightening over his glass and for the first time this evening, she was entertained.

"If you were a challenge," Michiru started, "then you wouldn't need to kidnap our princess as leverage."

He laughed cynically, sending a disturbing aura in Michiru's direction. Her expression was less enthused, a deep frown bending at her lips as she anticipated his words.

"Leverage, huh?" He repeated. "I suppose she's become that much but that wasn't my original intent."

"Then what was?" She asked. She knew she shouldn't have but the question escaped her before she had a chance to stop it.

The glint in his eyes made her angry and it wasn't long after until her blood had started to boil.

"I wanted her to watch her legacy crumble starting with her beloved senshi. I really wish you could've seen her face when she watched Uranus get torn by those carnivores…" he taunted in a low, sinister tone. "It really would've broken your heart. That girl has the most readable features. She tried to hide her sorrow with anger but eventually she just gave up and _begged_ for me to spare her friends."

He laughed heartily. "Can you picture that? Your princess groveling at my feet, willing to do whatever she could to save Uranus who was already dead…"

Michiru's jaw tightened, her restraint teetering on a needle point.

"And what made it even more entertaining," he continued, now whispering into Michiru's ear as if to provoke her to do something. "Was watching her face as the carnivores ripped Uranus apart...

...piece...

...by...

...piece."

If ever there was a time where the warriors of Neptune were criticized for their slow reaction, it was refuted and challenged in this single moment. Without regard of the public ball surrounding them, Michiru harshly grabbed Elios' wrist with moisture already rising through her fingertips. Not keen on easily submitting, Elios had countered, slipping his wrist free and witnessing first hand that Michiru was no push-over when it came to hand-to-hand combat.

Completely oblivious, the crowd had not noticed them, their agile movements quiet as Michiru angrily pursued her target. Elios was getting short of breath and for a brief moment he was regretful of his choice of words but was swiftly reconciled when recalling his own ramifications for this entire situation.

Ire rose through him and in a moment where his mind had missed a crucial fact, he had separated himself two steps too far from Michiru and her lips curved into an acute grin. His face faltered when he noticed the orb of Neptune's power in her hands and he silently marveled at the magnificence of it all. She looked like such a normal woman but she had the rapid seas at her call just waiting to aid her. How he would escape this one, was a complete mystery. He hadn't been at his full strength and Earth's reserves of power were dwindling with time.

He closed his eyes to brace himself for contact, but it never came.

"Michiru," Setsuna intervened, grabbing her harshly by the wrist and urging her not to continue. The aquamarine-haired woman looked surprised, the seas somehow disappearing from their previous glow. Elios attested that was probably Pluto's work.

He smirked.

"Ah, and the big sister comes out to scold her fellow senshi. I see some things haven't changed…"

Setsuna's garnet orbs looked frigidly in Elios' direction, her body in front of Michiru's as if to guard her from any surprise attacks.

"You're a fool for coming here," she stated plainly.

"Well I had a message that needed to be sent and good help is just so hard to find," he replied, straightening up his suit and repositioning his bowtie. "And I believe the message has been well received."

He smiled, giving a curt bow as if they were having a cordial meeting and both parties were happy to see each other. Michiru was seen glaring at him from behind Setsuna who was monotonous and waiting for him to take his leave. It wasn't even a second after when his feet had moved across the ground to walk past them and back into the oblivious room of guests.

Within a mere foot of exiting their hearing range, he stopped, turning his head slightly to relay one more message.

"You two should find yourselves a comfortable seat," Elios smugly suggested. "There's going to be one hell of a show…"

Setsuna tensed, as did Michiru, but neither made any motions to act on their discomfort.

He exited without trouble, Michiru yanking her wrist from Setsuna after his departure.

"Why did you stop me?" Michiru questioned angrily.

"You know exactly why," Setsuna replied, moving to leave but Michiru stopped her.

"We could have found Usagi even if he was dead," Michiru nearly yelled.

Setsuna turned around silently, eyes heavily distraught and tired as she remained stern.

"Say that again and this time look me in the eyes and tell me that you're certain nothing would've happened to Usagi if Elios had come up dead by the end of this evening," she challenged, looking point blank into Michiru's shaking teal eyes. "Go ahead, Michiru," Setsuna prompted.

Michiru stayed silent, turning her gaze away in defeat. Setsuna exhaled, running a hand through her bangs as she tried to think of a way to sooth her friend.

"There are infinitely many ways that this situation could play out," Setsuna started, catching Michiru's ear only slightly. "I've gone through millions stretching from universal chaos to complete annihilation. Choosing not to intervene before Rei and Haruka set out on their own seemed the least damaging. I know you're angry with me and I can't blame you. I'm angry with myself for letting this happen…" she drifted.

"But I need your help, Michiru," she muttered just barely over a whisper. "You're the only other person that knows the truth."

Michiru stayed quiet for some time, just soaking in the question and wavering in her head which path she should take.

"It's good to hear you ask for help given how I know you don't ask often," she stated calmly with a slight gulp, her hands clammy from apprehension. "But you should've asked sooner."

She strode off without another word, leaving Setsuna by the Diamond of Hope that sparkled in ignorance.

…

Duo had assumed Ami had swept through his entire hard drive, article clippings, files and post-it's just to gather what hold he might've had on his private investigation around Haruka and her feline friends. She ignored him for the most part, typing vigorously on her computer as her blue eyes darted from lines and lines of texts.

She was no blunt cookie. She had managed to capture and calibrate the intonations of his voice so that any call made to his phone was answered by a blue-haired Duo who expertly kept suspicions low and reconvened business as usual when she hung up.

By now, Duo had given up trying to get under her skin with threats, name calling and the like since she was quite skilled at retreating to other places despite her physical presence in the same room. He imagined she must've had a lot of practice at blocking out the rest of the world while growing up else she wouldn't have been so good at it today.

One thing had caught his interest, however. Duo, or rather, Ami had received a call from the Preventers about the charity ball being held at the Sanq kingdom. They had hoped to get all hands on board for this event since there was an obvious issue plaguing the Preventers, but Ami had told them that she was tied up and could not attend.

When they tried to convince her otherwise, briefly mentioning Relena's recent disappearance, she was somewhat shocked.

Duo could literally see the cogs in her brain turning as she greased them up with newfound bits of information.

"Relena's been kidnapped?" He heard her mention to herself.

If not for her bad habit of talking to herself while she worked then Duo would've been completely kept in the dark knowledge-wise. She tried to monitor herself to make sure she didn't talk so loudly but some habits were just hard to break.

"Com'on babe," Duo had groaned after hours of sitting tied up in a chair. "Most women don't keep me tied up for so long without some type of action. Could you at least wave a gun at me and make me think you plan to kill me? Cause right now I'm kinda feeling like a third wheel."

He smirked when he noticed the deep red blush upon her cheeks and for the first time he realized she was somewhat unaccustomed to people with shameless charisma, as he liked to call it.

"Shut up," she bluntly replied, pushing aside her blush and continuing her work.

He sighed, she may not have adapted well to men with charisma, but at the moment she was too wrapped up in work to even care.

There was a beeping from a funny looking device lying flat on the coffee table near her desk but she made no motions to silence it. Like an annoying chirp, it beeped, a red light flashing at its blue edges. There was an interesting gold emblem on its front but Duo couldn't recognize its origin. It was familiar though and it bothered him that he couldn't pinpoint why.

"Are you gonna answer that?" Duo rambunctiously quizzed.

Ami looked up in surprise, scrunching her brows in an admittedly cute look and suddenly bolting up from her seat as she noticed the flashing red light upon her blue gadget.

"How long has that been going off?" she asked.

"I'm your prisoner. Do you really think I'm gonna answer that?"

She rushed to the coffee table, flipping it open and typing away. Duo was intrigued, trying to peek from his tied down position at the technology that had interested him. Perhaps after this was all said and done, he could steal some of her gadgetry and dissect it to see how they were engineered. He had to admit, she had some fascinating developments in her small one-room apartment.

A gasp was the last thing he heard before the device was suddenly gone and she had moved sprinted to the back of his chair.

…

Milliardo's throat was dry as he anticipated the fast approaching moment where he would have to walk up to the stage and announce Relena would not be in attendance and therefore the diamond could not be auctioned. The host was already making his way to the mike as attendees were heavily concentrating on his ascent up the steps.

Milliardo could literally feel their desire seeping from their very pores, his stomach sick as he contemplated the words that would best keep this situation to a minimal riot. One thing was certain, he couldn't let them know that Relena was kidnapped otherwise all hell might break loose. A small rebellion he could handle, but a war was not something he was looking to start, especially not after discovering Haruka and Rei's well-kept secret.

"Ah, Prince Milliardo, I had thought I saw you back here."

The platinum blonde blinked in slight surprise, nearly forgetting that he was known and that others might want to start conversation with him.

"Just Milliardo," he corrected. "I've forfeit all royal recognitions."

The newcomer smiled, his silvery blue eyes glistening in response.

"Royalty is decided by blood," he said. "And you, Prince, are of royal decent whether you care to acknowledge it or not. It's not really something that can be denounced."

Milliardo scoffed, feeling strangely affected by this man's presence. He stood at the same height, his hair a snowy white in contrast to Milliardo's somewhat darker shade of mane. His skin resonated with some majestic aura but Milliardo disregarded it.

"We're all entitled to our own opinions, I suppose," he said in response to this stranger's blunt statements.

"Opinion?" The stranger retorted. "In ancient civilizations that fact was recognized and well consolidated as law. No one dared to go against it."

"That's interesting," Milliardo deadpanned, not really concerned about history at a time like this.

He heard the man scoff to the side of him.

"Bloodlines were crucial topics in ancient civilizations," he started to ramble. "Back then particular bloodlines held power that others couldn't even begin to comprehend. Some were stronger than others, and in most cases, those bloodlines would eventually rise to rule over the masses."

"Hn," Milliardo grunted. "So you enjoy history, I assume."

"Very much, yes," he replied.

"That's good," Milliardo stated. "My friend Mr. Winner has a fascination with the subject as well. I'm sure he'd love to discuss ancient civilizations with you if I could just see him and introduce you…"

There was a small laugh.

"Forgive me," the man said. "I've been boring you."

"Not at all," Milliardo quickly refuted. "I'm just distracted at the moment."

"Hmm, I see," he said with an understanding smile, one that didn't sit well with Milliardo. "Looking for someone?"

Milliardo paused a moment, staring suspiciously into this stranger's face who seemed harmless and almost angelic.

"Not particularly," he lied hesitantly.

"Oh," he replied with a slight raise in his eyebrow. "Then would you mind if I asked you a question?"

"Sure," Milliardo replied without thinking.

"Why have you denounced all claims to your political standing in favor of your younger sister?"

Milliardo tensed, now fully attentive to this strange man beside him.

"Excuse me?" He said, not really intent on answering a question of this magnitude.

The man smiled brightly, that radiance that made Milliardo uneasy was back and somewhat ethereal.

"You're a noble man, Prince," he said proudly. "One that understands the power of innocence in such a corrupt world. It's not often that leaders of you and your sister's temperament are born."

Milliardo opened his mouth to make a response in this strange conversation but was stopped when he heard the host announce that the auction would be starting. Completely cleared from his previous talk with an unknown man, he turned to face the front stage with anxiety boiling beneath his skin.

It was a perplexing moment. In the brief second that his heart had been rebounding off his ribcage in a hasty rattle, it was shut off in pure disbelief in that same instant. The glass in his hand was cracked, the pupils of his eyes dilated to display his shock. His ears fell deaf to the sounds of the crowd who convened without hesitation and had even broken out into a cheerful applause.

Time seemed to still, not only for him but for the entire group in the audience that had known the truth throughout the evening. For there upon the stage was an unharmed and perfectly groomed Relena Peacecraft wearing her diplomatic smile with an equally inviting shine to her eyes.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," announced the auctioneer. "Let the bidding begin!"

…

"Master Elios," whispered a suited man just beside the white-haired ancient who had recently departed from Milliardo's side.

"Have the preparations been set?"

"Yes, soldiers have located all the remaining senshi. They await your orders."

Elios smiled, catching eyes with the young princess of Saturn for the first time that evening. He waved towards her and watched as her eyes hardened. His smirk only widened.

"Initiate the attack."

* * *

Whew, this took me forever to finish. I am extremely apprehensive about this chapter. I think I may have been a bit off with character development and such with Michiru and Setsuna...if you agree, please let me know! Alas, thank you for reading though. Any comments, questions, concerns, or gripes are easily submitted via the review section.

twilightrocks100: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you like this so far and I hope it continues to be likable :)

Sunshine Fia: Thank you for your review! I'm relieved this story is still interesting despite the fact that it is a Usa/Mamo which a lot of people don't like XD Hopefully it stays interesting! And thank you so much for reading!

oombala: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you liked Mako/Wufei. They've got a sweet spot in my heart somehow and I honestly don't know how it got there but I'm super excited that you appreciated it!

Nerf-or-Nothing: I watched an episode of the Legend of Korra and oh my gawsh I knew if I watched more I'd be a crazy fanatic so I had to contain myself and stop watching it before it became another obsession XD But yeah Tenzin is an awesome name. I first heard in the movie 2012 and was determined to make that a name for one of the twins and then seeing Tenzin on the Legend of Korra was just more reinforcement for my liking of the name :) Anyhow, I'm so glad you like this so far and thank you so much for your review!

AquaTonic: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you liked the Mako/Wufei part I hope to make you squee some more later but I fear my luck with that will be dismal lol. We'll see I guess ^^;

TopazDragon: Thank you for your review! They are always so lengthy it makes me feel special lol. There are certainly lots of questions coming up in this story, so many that I have trouble keeping them in check haha. Nevertheless, I'm glad you think the questions are feasible sometimes I think I might be pushing it a little with that and that everything will start sounding too far-fetched heh. Anyhow, Minako's status is certainly on my to-do list. There wasn't much of her in this chapter but I've got plans for her, too many actually, so I keep having to debate with myself which one would be the most optimal...But, thank you again for reviewing! They are always such a pleasure to read, just like your stories ;)

Realms of Destiny: Thank you for reviewing! I hope your studies went well! I'm glad you find the plot to be intense and yeah Rei's situation is a sticky one. Thank you again for reviewing and much more thanks for reading!

Espresso Seraph: Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far and I appreciate your constructive criticism! A block of text is hard to read so I made an effort to break up paragraphs more often. I hope I did well with that ^^:

SuperNova23: Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad that you like this story so far and especially that Mako and Wufei appear to be a pretty decent working couple! On another note, Haruka is certainly one of my favorites so its always great to hear that I've done her character right and Rei has always been a challenge for me so its a relief to hear that her characterization is decent! As for Setsuna, she is different here and I'm hoping that later I can rationalize her actions so that they'd be more in her character. But thank you so much for pointing that out! I do sometimes have trouble with tone and dialogue...Anyhow, that was a cool fun fact! I used to do the same thing with my friend, pairing Duo with Ami and Rei with Quatre lol. Except we never did try Minako with Wufei. I've actually been thinking of that pairing since you've mentioned it and I agree they do have a lot of contrast and now I'm constantly exploring ways they'd come together XD

suisei no mitsukai: Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm glad you're enjoying it! Ami's situation has to be one of my favorites in this particular story and hopefully I can bring her character justice throughout!

Once more, thank you all for your reviews! They are all truly appreciated!

JPandS


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